


Persona 3: You're Not Alone

by VGJoker2015



Category: Persona Series
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-05
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2019-06-24 05:32:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 73,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15623649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VGJoker2015/pseuds/VGJoker2015
Summary: Minato Arisato has spent almost his entire life with nothing: No family, no friends, no memories, no purpose, nothing to fill the void created in his heart. Because he had nothing, he believed he had no life. Therefore, he didn't really care if he lived or died. But when he returns to his hometown and experiences the dreadful and paranormal, he finds someone knows and understands his pain, yet still possesses the drive to live life to the fullest. For that reason, and so many more... he'll do and give anything to protect her.





	1. Thanks for Today

Minato's been standing in front of the mirror above the sink in his room for ten minutes trying to decide if what he's wearing right now is good enough for today.

"Should I… try wearing something else?" he asks himself while keeping his eyes glued on the mirror. He stares at the bang of his short dark blue hair, then moves it out of the way to reveal his right eye.

"Maybe I should… get it cut?" He lets go of his bang and scratches the back of his head.

This is all  _so_  confusing. He's never really cared about his looks. He didn't care that he wore the normal clothes every single day. He never cared how tidy or messy his hair is. Honestly, he never really cared about most things in his life. Not even the thought of death fazed him. A gun could be put to his head and he would still sport that blank as paper expression on his face. Just like he didn't about when or how he died, he didn't care about his appearance.

He lets a deep sigh heave from his lips.

"Except… I've never been on a date before."

**xxx**

It's been a couple months since Minato Arisato moved back to his hometown, Iwatodai. After being tossed around for ten years by foster care after he was orphaned when his parents died in a terrible car crash, leaving him with no family or relatives to look after him, he finally landed back here.

The first person he met in his return to this city was Yukari Takeba. She is a fellow second year at Gekkoukan Private High School, the school he was transferred to, and a pretty popular one at that. Bright, active, and of course, beautiful, with a cheer leader captain's aura to boot, even though she's part of the Archery Club. All the guys in school are always trying to take their best shot at the pink sweater clad, brunette archer, but she easily dodges them and sends all of them running for the hills.

As for her and Minato, their meeting was… well, not on  **bad**  terms. More like  **strange**  ones. There was a train malfunction as he was on his way to his dorm, so he had gotten to his assigned dorm really late and she was the first person to meet him in the lobby. What he  **didn't**  expect was for her to have a pistol latched to her thigh. Everything was fine in the morning. She even escorted him to the school herself and they ended going to class together. The rumor that they were going out wasn't very welcome, though.

A few nights after that, he was given a basic rundown of the existence of the Dark Hour, a time period that exists between days and starts a midnight. During that time period, demons know as Shadows lurk around and attack the minds of any human they see, inflicting them with Apathy Syndrome, or turning them into living corpses that eventually commit suicide known as the Lost. (Side note: One of the victims was actually the reason behind the train malfunction when Minato arrived due to a successful suicide attempt.) Most people are actually sealed into coffins during the Dark Hour, but people with the potential to use Persona, the power to summon spirits that manifest a person's psyche to fight, are free to roam around. Although, the young boy was already aware that such a time period existed, having been experiencing it ever since the accident ten years ago.

Minato awakened to his power on the night of a full moon, when, apparently, a strong Shadow comes out, in order to protect Yukari after she failed to use her Evoker (that pistol) to replicate the act of death and summon her Persona when their dorm was attacked. After he woke up from a week's slumber caused by fatigue, Yukari apologized for not being able to protect him and hiding these things from him.

It caught Minato completely off guard when she came out and told him that she's all alone like him because her father died in an explosion in a Kirijo Group Laboratory around the time of his parents' death and she is currently on really bad terms with her mother. She joined the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad (S.E.E.S.) in order to find out the truth behind the incident. In that moment, Minato felt something that he has never felt before:  **A connection**. He never got the chance to make friends before he was orphaned and he was emotionally isolated from the world for the past ten years, so this was truly a first for him. Yukari had actually become his  **first real friend.**

So, wanting to protect the only person who could sympathize with him, Minato ended up joining S.E.E.S. and they've been close allies ever since.

**xxx**

This past week, however, Minato protected Yukari from some gang members when they stole her wallet on their way home from school. She had gone off alone, Minato got worried after a good while passed, and when he found her cornered, a rage like nothing he had ever felt before surged through him, allowing him to lay the the smack down on the gang with ease. Despite his valiant rescue, she ended up getting mad at him, saying that he didn't need his help, and it escalated into a fight that put a gap between them. After days of awkward distance, she called him up to the school roof to apologize, explaining that she thought she would be no different from her mother, who constantly messes around with random men, if she always relied on someone else for help. In the end, she saw that as her field leader and close friend that knows her pain, it will never be bad to rely on Minato for help, so she thanks him for saving her and tells him, in her own words, that he had no idea how happy she was when he came. In turn, Minato tells her that she is the first friend and  **best** friend he's ever had in his whole life, so it's natural that he's always want to help her. He tells her that if she ever needs help with anything, she can always come straight to him. With that, the two feel closer to each other than as they head back to the S.E.E.S, dormitory.

On their way home, some other students caught them walking home together. It was while they were on the train headed back to Iwatodai.

_That's just messed **up,** man, How does a new kid like him land Takeba before he even started going to Gekkou?!_

_Who knew she'd actually go for the cold, dark, mystery type? I heard he's even ranked number one in class **and**  the Kendo Team's MVP. He was even close to beating that beast Mamoru guy._

_Then, he'd be better off goin' for Mitsuru Kirijo! She's the current valedictorian! She's probably into guys like him! Take a shot at her and let **us**  have Takeba!_

Yukari groans at that conversation in absolute disgust.

"Ugh, could those guys seriously be any louder?" she whispers. "And " _Let us have Takeba?_ " Tch, perverts."

"Well, at least you won't have to worry about the second year guys hitting on you anymore," Minato mentions. "Or, well…  **any**  guys, for that matter?" Yukari crosses her arms.

"Yeah, but with how much I've been asked _"Hey, how're you and the new kid doing?"_ or _"How far have you guys gone?"_ , I'm getting really close to actually  **miss** being hit on all the time." Minato sighs and leans forward, resting his head on his arms.

"Yeah. Kenji  **does**  ask me about stuff like that everyday. Eh... I don't really care, though."

"Hmph. Yeah, that sounds like you."

"But… does the rumor really bother you that much?" Yukari glares at Minato. Not in anger towards him, though.

"Well, yeah! Of course it bothers me a lot! It's not even true!" Minato waits for Yukari to say something else… but it never came. Yukari notices the confused expression on his face.

"What?" she asks.

_"And?"_ he leads.

"And what?"

"It bothers you 'cause it's not true  _and?_ "

"Uh… and **nothing**. That's it."

"So, you're saying that the only reason the rumor bugs you so much is because it's not true?" Yukari starts getting a little irritated at him.

"So what if it is?! What's your point?!" Minato looks down at the ground to think, then looks at Yukari.

"Okay. So, let's say the rumor isn't about you and  **me**. Let's say it's about… you and **Junpei** -" Yukari jumps from her seat, outraged.

" ** _WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!_** Don't pair me up with **Stupei** -!" Minato puts his hand to her face to cut her off.

" **Calm down!** Just hear me out." Yukari takes a second to calm down before taking her seat.

"Okay. So now, the rumor's about you and Junpei," he says. "You've got millions of billions of zillions of reasons to be bothered by it now."

"Tch! Of course!" she exclaims. "He's obnoxious, he's sleazy, his brain's the size of a marble, he never thinks ahead, he's completely self-centered, all he does is play video games all day, you can't trust him to do crap, he has the  _worst_  hygiene-" Minato cuts her off with his hand again.

"Okay, okay. That's enough. I get it. So, overall, he's just... Junpei, right?"

"He's  **Stupei!** " Yukari corrects. Minato nods.

"So, compared to the million of billions of zillions of reasons it would bother you if it was Junpei," he says. "The only reason it bothers you so much that it's me is because it's not true?"

"W-Well, yeah. Um… I mean, uh… " Yukari looks down as gets a light blush.

"Um… to be honest, it… it doesn't really bother me  **that** much," she confesses. "I-I mean, you're totally different from Stupei. Y-You're really smart, really reliable, you're a good leader, and you seem you're always looking out for everyone. Plus, you're really strong and nothing ever seems to scare you." Yukari cracks a embarrassed smile.

"T-To tell the truth, out of all the guys in school, you seem like-" Yukari gasps, realizing what she's saying. Her face turns beat red and she shakes her head.

" **Stupid!** What're you making me say?!" she yells. "Hngh… We're done talking about this, got it?!" Minato sighs and gives Yukari a moment to calm down.

"One more question-" Yukari slams her hands in her lap, cutting him off.

"I just said we're done-!"

"Just one more! I promise I'll drop it if you answer." Yukari lets out a long groan, then sighs.

"Ugh… fine. What is it?" Minato closes his eyes for a moment, then looks at Yukari again.

"Would it really be that bad…" he says. "If it  **is**  true?" Yukari blushed again. At first, it looks like she gonna scream at him, but she hesitates. She's at a complete loss for words.

"U-Uh… I, well… that's… um… I-I'm sorry. What was the question again?" she stutters.

"Okay, let's try this. If I were to ask you, right here, right now, if you wanted to go out together sometime, what would you say?"

The rephrased question doesn't seem to embarrass Yukari that much. She's able to clearly think about this question. She looks down and twiddles her thumbs for a moment before answering.

"Well, uh… I… I guess… I'd say… Sure, when?" Minato, with his hands hiding the blush on his face, gulps.

"Um… what if I said… how about this Sunday around noon?" Yukari twiddles her thumbs again.

"Uh… I'd say… okay?" Minato looks down and gulps again.

"Uh… would you show?" he asks.

"Well, yeah. Of course, I'd show." Yukari answers.

"W-Would… would you really?"

"Huh?" Yukari is confused by Minato repeating his question. Why would he want her to promise she would show up? She looks at him and sees a bit of red on his face. She blushes as she comes to two realizations: 1. He's actually blushing. 2. This isn't some hypothetical question, he's  **actually asking her out**.

Minato shakes his head.

"Uh, you know what? Forget I said anything. Sorry." Yukari is dumbstruck at Minato's disguised date offering attempt as the train stops.

**xxx**

Today is Sunday and it's 11:55 a.m. Minato, still standing in front of the mirror, pulls out his cell and looks at the text message she sent him that night.

Yukari: **I promise I'll show. You'd better not stand me up, 'kay? ;)**

He takes a deep breath and nods at himself in the mirror.

"Screw it. This is fine."

**xxx**

Minato walk downstairs to the lounge, hands in his pockets like always, and sees that no one is around, except Yukari standing at the front door. To his surprise, she's wearing the same summer clothes she always wears: pink tank top, navy blue jeans, and white sandals, all topped off with her signature heart choker.

Yukari, hearing his footsteps drawing closer to her, turns to him and sighs in relief.

"Oh, good. You're not dressed up or anything," she says. Minato raises one eyebrow.

"You had that problem too?" he asks. Yukari rubs the back of her neck.

"W-Well, this is my first time on an actual date. So, I, uh… Ha ha… I didn't know what to expect. In the end, I just went, "To hell with it"."

"Yeah. It's not like we're going to a ball or anything." Yukari sheepishly laughs with a light blush on her face, prompting Minato to scratch his head and and do the same.

"So, um… where  **are**  we going?" Yukari asks.

"Well, I figured we'd just walk around like usual. Nothing special." Minato says with a shrug.

"Yeah. Good idea."

**xxx**

Minato and Yukari did what they usually do on days after school: Just walk around in random areas. Today, they decided to go to Paulownia Mall. However, there was a different feeling in the air around them than when they usually walked together. The whole time, they felt their faces slightly turn red and their heart rates quicken due to them being so close together in this situation. They weren't even trying to be so close to each other. It was like something was pulling them together. Not that they minded, deep down.

Several hours passed by and the two actually did a lot more than they usually do. They spent some time at the arcade, did a little karaoke, went to the cafe, and even caught a last minute movie.

**xxx**

It was almost dark by the time they got back to the dorm with satisfied smiles on their faces. As they walk to the dorm's front door, Yukari giggles.

"Okay. I'm just gonna come out and say it," she says. "That was **way** more fun than I thought it would be."

"Yeah. I guess so, huh?" Minato says. "Still can't believe we actually caught that movie, though."

"Yeah, and it was so good! Man, I can't wait for the sequel." As they reach the steps to the front door of the dorm, Yukari looks down fidgets a little.

"Hey, Minato? Um… what do you do on your days off?" she asks shyly. "Not that I mean to pry. I-I'm just curious." Minato stops and thinks about it.

"Well… when I'm not getting supplies and weapons for our trips to Tartarus," he says. "I… I guess... I just I stay in my room and study."

 

 

"Really?! Wait… besides the film festival and your Kendo tournament training… you weren't... in your room all day during summer break, were you?" When Minato looks at the ground, Yukari takes it as a subtle "yes".

"You  **were?!** " she gasps. "Aw... Oh man… I-I'm so sorry... I guess I never noticed 'cause I never see you in the morning." Minato looks to Yukari with head cocked and a raised eyebrow.

"Why are you apologizing?" he asks her. "It's not your fault."

"You say that, but… I kinda feel like it **is**. We live in the same dorm, after all. You must've been so bored... and lonely." Minato passively shrugs and looks down.

"Eh, don't worry about it," he says. "It's no big deal... I've been used to it for a long time now. I don't really care anymore." A light gasps escapes Yukari's mouth as her face floods with disbelief, having caught the hidden sadness in his grey eyes and in his voice.

"... _Minato_..."

His words sting her heart like the a small swarm of bees. After her father died and she moved out of her mother's place, she's been alone for almost ten years. Although they aren't on the best of terms, she still has blood family, but Minato has been left on his own. No parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, **nobody**. Absolutely no one to care for him at all. Even the memories of his childhood are gone due to the concussion he got on the day of the crash. After learning about Minato's past, her loneliness started to fade. Yet, his still lingers over him like a poltergeist... and it hurts her to watch it do so.

After the short reverie, she takes a deep breath and smiles.

"Well, get **un** -used to it," she says.

"Huh?"

"Why don't you ask me out? You should totally ask me out. I honestly try to do something on my off days every time I get one." Minato blushes.

"Uh… A-Are you sure?" he asks.

" _He he he._ Hey, if dates with you are as much fun as today's was, I don't object. Like I said, it's boring being alone."

"Oh… well…" Yukari giggles.

"Seriously though, from now on when you have free days, come knock on my door so I can save you from your boredom," she says. "We'll go somewhere together. Deal?" Minato stares at Yukari, slightly moved by her offer, and gently smiles.

"Yeah, sure. Deal." Yukari nods and starts walking up the stairs.

"You'd better come straight to me," she warns. "Or I'll start banging on your door to wake you up. Besides..." She stops at the door.

"I… I think I've been having the most fun on the days I spend with you-"

"You're kidding, right?" Minato says, narrowing his eyes, remembering how she teased him at the flower shop. Yukari shakes her head.

"N-No… not this time. I-I'm dead serious… about  **this**  too…" Yukari turns to Minato, with a blushed gently smile on her face.

"I-I'm... really glad you asked me out today." Yukari's words and her smile took Minato by surprise. He could feel his heart skip a beat as he gazed at her. For the first time in his life, he thought someone was… beautiful.

...Only to have her mischievous smile ruin it.

" _ **Psych~!**_ " she shouts. The feeling stops in a flash and Minato facepalms himself, ticked off by her tease. Yukari starts laughing.

"Know what? Deal's off. I'm not talking to you anymore," Minato groans.

" _Aha ha ha ha!_ No! No, no! I'm sorry!" Yukari shouts. "I couldn't resist!" Yukari wipes the tear from her right eye.

"Aha ha… I really did mean it. This… this is just proof. See?" Minato sighs.

"You're such a sick little tease, you know that?" he says. Yukari recovers from her laugh.

"Anyway… thanks a lot for today," she says. "I had a really good time." Minato smiles.

"No problem. I had a good time too."

"So, are we going to Tartarus tonight?" Minato shakes his head.

"Nah. We'll wing it today," he says. "We'll go tomorrow."

"Alright. Well… G'night." Yukari turns to the door and goes through. Minato stands there, looking at the sky above, thinking about all the stuff he did with Yukari. If there was a time he felt happier and less lonely, he couldn't think of any.

"Thanks a lot for today." This was such a perfect day. There's no way he's gonna ruin it with Tartarus.

* * *

_**Chapter 1: End** _


	2. Warm Hands

It's been a few weeks since Minato and Yukari started dating. Nothing too serious yet, but they seem  **do** to be having a little more fun each time they go out.

**xxx**

School is out on a Saturday and the two have decided to go down to the Iwatodai strip mall. When they get to the Iwatodai train station, they find a massive crowd of people flooding in and out of the station, with students trying to squeeze through.

"Seems a little more... crowded than usual, doesn't it?" Minato asks.

"A little?!" Yukari exclaims. "If this was a savannah, this would be a stampede of elephants!"

"That's not very nice. They're not  **all**  fat." Yukari glares at Minato, who smiles mischievously.

"You know what I meant!" Minato recalls something he heard from a classmate this morning.

"I think it has something to do with the Port Island station," he says. "Apparently, there's been a lot of Apathy Syndrome victims over there. Guess people are trying to avoid it." Yukari looks down and frowns.

"Hm… I know we have to look around Tartarus," she says. "But… can't we just take a night to stop the Shadows outside from attacking more people?" Minato rubs the back of his neck in thought.

"I guess," he says. "But that wouldn't really change anything. The way I see it, the only permanent solution is to get rid of the Dark Hour."

Now that he's said it out loud, Minato thinks about what'll happen after that. Everyone he's met so far have only gathered together for that purpose. Once that's done… will everyone just disappear from his life? Will it be like none of it ever happened?

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Yukari says. "Once we defeat the last of the 12 Shadows, this'll all be over. And the sooner, the better." Minato nods.

"Well, there's a problem we'll deal with more tonight," Yukari says. "Right now, how do we get through here without getting lost… or **crushed?** "

Minato snaps back to reality when she mentions this. He looks down at Yukari's hand. They've been walking side by side for a long time now and it feels like that hand is getting closer to his. That hand has been calling his name for a long time. Now, he can finally shut it up.

He blushes, takes a deep breath, reaches behind her hand, and quickly locks his fingers between hers. He feels her initial shock as her hand tenses up.

"H-Huh?!" Yukari looks down at their hands, then at Minato. Minato tries to avoid eye contact with her, half expecting her to yell at him, or even slap him, but neither came. Yukari blushes and looks away from him.

"U-Uh… well… I-I guess this could work," she stutters. "F-For getting through the crowd, I mean." Minato doesn't say anything. He's too caught up in feeling how warm Yukari's hand feels in his. He feels Yukari's fingers slowly wrap around his hand. He takes another deep breath.

"W-We're going in," he mumbles. "J-Just… h-hold on tight and… d-don't let go." Yukari nods as he walks into the crowd, pulling her behind him. As he walked through the large crowd, he didn't feel any of the resistance of people passing by him. All he could feel is the gentle and warm feel of Yukari's hand.

When they boarded the train, it was completely packed with people, which meant there was still a risk of them losing each other. Minato grabbed a bar overhead, still holding Yukari's hand tight.

"H-Hey… that's still you I'm holding, right?" Minato asks. He didn't hear any answer. Yukari was caught with feeling Minato's hand, just like he was with hers. It felt like nothing in this world could break Minato's firm grip. It was a bit terrifying for her… but also very much more comforting. Kind of like… what happened back at Yakushima.

" **Yukari?!** "

"Huh? Y-Yeah. I'm still here," she stutters. Minato started to feel Yukari's fingers massage his hands as she tightened her grip. He instinctively pulls her slightly closer to him, allowing their arms to touch. They both see each other joined together in the window's reflection, not noticing that they're both looking at it. They can't take their eyes off it. Somehow, it confirmed to them that there is someone with them, right by their side, and that feeling in their hands is not fake. It's obvious that they're both asking the same question:

_Do I seriously have to let go?_

**xxx**

They reach the strip mall and Minato scans the three floors for a place to eat. One place catches his eye.

"Wakatsu?" he asks Yukari.

"Sure. Why not?" she says. They walk over to the restaurant. Only when Minato tries to open the door with his right hand do they both notice their mistake.

"Oh geez!" Yukari exclaims. "We're still-!"

"Y-Yeah." They look at each other before disconnecting their hands. They quickly rubs their palms against their jackets, as if to wipe off dirt.

"D-Do you think anyone saw us?" Yukari asks.

"I-I dunno," Minato says. "We were in a crowd, so probably not." Yukari laughs sheepishly as Minato opens the door to let her go first. He sighs under his breath before going in himself.

_Guess I had to let go sooner or later_ , he thinks.

**xxx**

Long after they got their food, Minato is staring at his right hand, subconsciously missing the feel of Yukari's hand.

" ** _Mm~!_** That was good," Yukari says. "Good thing I got the same thing as you. I kinda knew you had good tastes." Her voice snaps him back to reality.

"Huh? Oh yeah. Right," he passively responds. Yukari stares at her left hand, missing the feel of Minato's hand, just like her partner. As she recalls the feeling, she decides to bring up an interesting topic.

"Hey, doesn't eating fish remind you of the ocean?" she asks Minato.

"When doesn't it?" he says. "That's where they came from, right?"

"Yeah. It's pretty much a part of our lives, I guess, since we live on the coast. We even went to the beach during summer vacation."

**xxx**

As soon as she mentioned the beach, Minato instantly flashed back of Junpei's fake, perverted bathing suit competition. More specifically, when Yukari came out with her pink and blue bikini top and small jean shorts.

"What's the matter, Junpei?" she asked. "You look even dumber than usual." Junpei, of course, smiled mischievously.

" _Man, talk about a feast for the eyes_ ," he says. " _Hehehe_ … Say hello to contestant #1, Yukari Takeba. She's sporting an even more aggressive style than I imagined- quite unexpected. It takes a lot of confidence to pull off a swimsuit like that. Could her boldness come from that confidence that her club training has toned her bod?"

"What?!" Yukari, at the time, was too busy staring daggers at Junpei to notice Minato blushing as he gets an eyeful.

**xxx**

The thought of it was making him blush now.

_Junpei…_ _ **did**_   _have a really good point_ , he thought to himself. Yukari snaps her fingers in front of his face.

_"Hello? Minato?"_ Minato snaps back to reality again, shaking his head.

"S-Sorry. I kinda spaced out a bit," he says.

"Well, did you hear what I said?" Yukari asks.

"Sorry, no." Yukari groans.

"You're hopeless..." she says. "I asked if you wanted to go somewhere after this is all over."

"Somewhere? Like where?" Yukari shrugs.

"I dunno. Somewhere different, like the mountains or something. We could do stuff like eat lunch outdoors. We could even see a deer. Whaddya think?" Minato smiles.

"Oh. Yeah. Sounds good to me," she says. Yukari smiles.

"Really?! You promise?" Minato nods.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I promise?" Yukari claps her hands together.

"Awesome, then I'll make lunch!" Yukari smirks as she puffs her chest out.

"I may not look it, but I'm a pretty good cook! You just wait and see!" Minato rests head on his right arm.

"If Koromaru could talk," he says. "I'm pretty sure he'd have something to say about that." Yukari blushes.

"H-Hey! That was the one time, and you know it!" she exclaims. Minato chuckles, much to her chargrin.

"S-Shut up!" she shouts.

"Sorry, sorry." Yukari looks down at her plate, making a circle in her soy sauce with her right index finger.

" _Hey… don't bring anyone_ ," she mumbles.

"Huh?"

"Don't invite anyone else, okay?" Yukari glances at Minato.

"I-I want it to be you and me," she mumbles. "I-It'll be… just the two of us." Minato realizes he has completely taken this the wrong way. She's not talking about a team celebration party, she's talking about a **romantic getaway**. He is surprised that she's actually the first one to come out and say something like that. So much so that he's speechless.

"Oh… uh… that's, um…" Yukari blushed again.

"Oh! S-Sorry. I know that's kinda bold," she says. "It's just… I know it's been a few weeks, which isn't a lot of time for things to get serious, but… I kinda feel like we barely have time to be alone, ya know?" Minato shakes his head.

"No, it's fine. It's not bad," he says. "It's good... Great." He gives Yukari a gentle smile.

"Actually… there's no other way I'd take it," he confesses. "I… want it to just be you and me too." Yukari giggles and sucks the soy sauce off her finger.

"You know… uh… I don't really know how to say this," she says. "But…" Yukari takes a deep breath before continuing.

"Minato… When I'm with you like this… I don't feel so… alone." Something about the shy tone of Yukari's words pulls a string in Minato. He leans in slightly closer and focuses on what she is saying.

"I mean, I  **do**  have friends," Yukari says. "Plus everyone at the dorm, but… most of the time, I don't really feel like myself when I'm around them. It's like the real me is locked up somewhere deep down inside me…" Yukari frowns.

"Maybe it's because of my family?" she says. "How it's so broken up? It's just… every time I look at them, I feel out of place. Distant, kind of. Like… I'm not really one of them." Yukari gently smiles at Minato.

"But… when I'm with  **you** … I don't feel any of that. I feel like I finally belong somewhere. Like someone's finally right next to me. Someone who will be there for me when I need it... It's really comforting."

It was incredible. Yukari's words felt like they were resonating with the one of the deepest parts of Minato's heart. This was what they were both thinking about when they were staring at their reflection on the train.

"So, uh… what I… I-I'm trying to say is…" Yukari looks at Minato's right hand, remembering how warm and securing it felt. She reaches her left hand out to touch it, to Minato's surprise, and he gazes at her ever so innocent smile.

"You're very special… no… you're very important to me, Minato." Minato puts the pieces of the puzzle together. The sincere tone of her words, the beautiful way she's smiling, and the way she's touching her hand.

"Well… I can tell you're not joking this time," he says.

"No, of course not," Yukari giggles. "To be honest, I wasn't really joking at the flower shop, so… I was never joking in the first place." Minato stares at Yukari's hand, thinking about how much she's opening up to him right now. This is a side of her he's never seen before. Her affectionate side towards the people she cares about. He decides that it wouldn't be fair if he didn't do the same for her.

"Hey… Can I tell you something?" he asks.

"Sure. What is it?" she asks.

"Well… do you remember when we were talking back at the hospital when I woke up? It was after I awakened to my Persona." Yukari nods.

"Yeah. There's no way I'd forget," she says. Minato gulps before saying further.

"Um… when you told me that about how you were all alone, how you lost your dad," he says. "That, honestly, was the best thing that's happened to me since I've been here." Minato slowly turns over his hand over.

"I've had no one for almost all my life," he says. "Ever since the day I lost my parents, I didn't care about anything. I just went with the flow of things without thinking about where I ended up. But… when you told me about how you were like as me, all alone in the world, I… it felt like all that just… faded away. For the first time in a long time, I was happy. It made me feel like… I'm not alone anymore. Like someone reached out their hand to me. So, uh… what  **I'm**  trying to say is…" Minato holds Yukari's hand and gently smiles back at her.

"You're very important to me too." The two smiled at each other, holding each other's hands tightly, not caring who sees. At this very moment, they had conveyed their feeling to each other clear enough.

Yukari can't help but notice the clock on the wall.

"Oh. It's time to go," she says. Minato looks at the clock.

"Oh yeah. Let's go." The two threw away their trash and left the restaurant. As they walked, they instinctively hold each other's hands. It wasn't awkward, like on the bus. It was really soothing for both of them, as if their mutual affection for each other was symbolized by the warmth of their hands.

And as for his most recent worry about their bond fading away after they erase the Dark Hour? The warmth of her hand pretty much melted that away.

* * *

_**Chapter 2: End** _


	3. What You Have Left

"You sure you're okay carrying all that?"

Yukari looks back at Minato, who's hauling a lot of brand store bags, along with his school bag, on his shoulders.

"Don't worry," he says. "I'm sturdier than I look." Yukari smirks.

" _Okay,_ " she says. "If you say so."

Yukari wanted to go on a shopping trip after school. Minato offered to carry her bags, since that's what boys are made for... or so he said he thinks. Denying the stereotype, Yukari accepted the offer.

"Well, you won't have to carry anymore heavy stuff," Yukari says. "The last store I wanna look at is piercings... Oh! Hey, why don't **you** pick out one for me?"

"Eh, well… I'm not really a pro at this kind of thing," Minato says. "But, for you? Alright, why not?" Yukari smiles.

"Nice! Put something real cute that will look good on me." Minato smirks.

"I'll try, but it's gonna be hard to find one that'll look good on the cutest girl ever." Yukari blushes, letting out a cute "aw", and giggles.

These two have been having little moments like these often ever since that day at Wakatsu. It looks like what happened there brought them really close together to the point that Yukari gladly accepts any praise Minato gives her.

Minato recalls something.

"Oh! Speaking of things that'll look good," he says. "Guess who got you something."

"Really?!" Yukari exclaims with excitement. "What is it?!"

"Uh, hang on." Minato sets all the bags right next to the central fountain.

"I actually hid it in the mall," he says. "I know where it is." Minato starts running off.

"Wait here! I'll be right back!"

"Oh! Uh, o-okay!"

Minato dashes straight into the dead end at the back of the mall, where a door to the Velvet Room is. He rushes towards it and knocks on the door. The door cracks and Elizabeth pops her head out.

" _Hellooo,_ " she says with a smile.

"Hey, Elizabeth," Minato says. "Do you still have it?"

"Why, of course. Any items required to strengthen your bonds with people, you can always leave them here with me. Allow me to go retrieve it."

"Thanks."

**xxx**

About a minute later, Minato rushes back to the central fountain, where Yukari is waiting, with gift in hand. He notices she's on the phone. The expression on her face says it's a serious call. He sets her present down and sneaks in to listen.

"What?! You're not gonna?!" Yukari exclaims. "... Forgive you?"

Minato can clearly make out who it is on the phone: Yukari's mom. They had a pretty nasty cell phone fight awhile back about her wanting to get remarried. Yukari got mad because she's been jumping from guy to guy for years and she doesn't think it would be fair to her father. It sounds like she's calling her daughter to apologize.

"B-Break up with him?! No, wait! Don't do that!" she yells." Do what you wanna do!" There's a pause.

"That's not what I meant. If that's what you want to do, go ahead... I don't really care, so… Listen, you don't have to worry about me. I'm fine…" Yukari starts looking nervous as Minato sneaks in closer.

"Huh? You… you wanna get together and talk about it?" It's faint, but Minato hear a woman crying on the phone.

"H-Hey, stop! Don't cry- **OH!** " Yukari turns and is startled when she sees Minato behind the bench. She scrambles to grab her phone after it slips out of her hand. She manages to catch it before it hits the ground. She sighs and get back on the phone.

"H-Hey, you still there?" Yukari asks. "Listen, I'm actually out right now, so I gotta go. But, um… I-I'll call you later. We'll talk then, okay? ... Alright… bye." Yukari hangs up, groans, and glares at Minato.

"UGH! Dammit, Minato!" she shouts. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" Minato shields himself.

"Sorry! I don't want to interrupt!" Yukari sighs and Minato walks up to her, eyes tinged with concern.

"So… what's up with your mom?" he asks. Yukari stares at Minato, then smiles.

"In a sec," she says. "Can I see my present first?"

"O-Okay. Sure." Minato reaches from behind the fountain.

"So, I know you said you weren't into roses, so you can toss them out if you want," he says. "But, I figured you'd want  **this**  for any of the flowers in your room." Minato pulls out a glass case with five roses in it. Yukari beams as she received her present.

"Oh, Minato," she says. "These are beautiful."

"Huh? I thought you said-"

"Hey, I told you I wasn't joking at the flower shop, didn't I?" Yukari interrupts. "I'm fine with any flowers if they're from you… Thank you." Minato smiles and nods.

"No problem," he says. "So… your mom called to apologize, right?" Yukari nods.

"Yeah... She said she won't even think about getting remarried until I forgive her," she says. "She even said she'll break up with the guy she's with now, if I want her to…"

" **Do you**  want her to?"

"Of course not! If she really is happy with him, I don't want her to go and dump him just because of something  **I**  say!" Yukari looks down.

"Hey… can we sit for a while? I-I'm kinda shaking." Minato nods and they both sit on the bench, Yukari still holding onto her present. Minato leans in to look at her face.

"So…" Yukari sighs. "She wants to see me… but I'm really nervous…"

"You said it yourself: It's been a long time since you saw her," Minato says. "Do you think you can forgive her?" Yukari smiles a little.

" _Aha ha…_ Well… I dunno," she says. "To tell you the truth, there's a lot more to it than that…" Yukari's eyes turn to Minato.

"If I do see her, I might get angry and say some really cruel things... But… I think it's time I talk to her. Nothing will change if I just run away." Yukari shrugs.

"And who knows? Maybe we can finally go back to the way things used to be... or maybe even better." Yukari looks down again.

"You know, I think… deep down inside, my mom misses my dad more than anything. And that's why she started fishing around for boyfriends." She looks up at the ceiling.

"She couldn't take it… losing someone so important to her… So she wanted someone to hang onto... someone to fill that hole in her heart..." Minato nods.

"I'm sure she really loves you too," he says. "Maybe she's just realizing that your her last relative and she doesn't want you to be alone anymore or lose you either. I think she's must be realizing that you're all she has left, of your father... and of the family she made with him." Yukari ponders Minato's words.

"The family... she made with him." she mumbles. "The family I was born into." She nods.

"Yeah... she's all I have left of that too. So... I  **have**  to see her." Minato nods in agreement as Yukari looks down to the ground.

"Honestly... I think it's more than just that... I think it's more like... I'm the one thing he left behind, ya know?" She stares at her gift.

"It must be hard to lose someone you love and wind up alone... I can't really find the right words, but I think I realized this when you and me started going out." Minato arches one eyebrow.

"Yukari?" Yukari takes a deep breath.

"I think... being in love... means having someone steal a really important part of you... and when you try to get it back, you realize the person who stole it became that big part of you..." Yukari turns to Minato, giving him an innocent smile.

"It's scary, but... it's a beautiful thing..." Minato just stares at her as she giggles.

"You know… I know I can put myself in her shoes now," she admits. "You just proved that to me, giving me this." Yukari frowns as she looks down and holds Minato's hand.

"You're really important to me, after all. So… if…" Yukari's lips start to quiver.

"I-If something happened… to take you away from me, I… I-I don't…" Minato felt Yukari's grip tighten and heard her voice start to tremble. The thought must be driving her to tears. Minato's instinct drives him into comforting her.

" **Hey!** Hey, hey, hey, look at me!" Yukari looks straight at Minato, with tear slowly running down her face. Minato places both his hands on her cheeks and wipes the tears away with his thumbs.

"You see me now, don't you?" he asks. "I'm right here." Yukari nods slightly as he stares intently at her, as if to focus the feeling of his next directly into her heart.

" **Listen** ," he says. "You will  **never**  lose me.  **Ever.**  No matter what happens, I will **always** be here for you. Nothing in this whole world, not even some Shadow, is gonna get in the way of that. I'm not going anywhere, okay? ... I promise." Yukari is able to smile a little bit and nods.

"M-Mm hm…!"

"... C'mere." Minato pulls Yukari closer and she leans against him, resting her head on his shoulder, pressing herself against his chest, and wrapping her arms around his waist. Minato does the same while rubbing his hand up and down her back to comfort her and ease her shaking body. This goes beyond what they felt when they held hands. The warmth of each other's bodies felt like a safest of havens for them and it felt like there was no one else there but them. Minato's haven always smells like the sweet flowers while hers smile like the salty blue sea.

"Plus, if I  **did**  die," Minato chuckles. "I'd have to count on Stupei to look after you and we both know how that would turn out." Yukari laughs at his tension breaking joke, giving her more comfort. When she realizes how deep she's going into this, she blushes and quickly escapes Minato's hug.

" _Gyah!_ Uh, l-look! When I-I was talking about being in love, I-I was just talking about what it's like in general, got that-" She stops and her face turns redder, realizing what she's saying isn't helping.

"No, wait! I-I mean what it  **must**  be like-" That's not helping either. Her face is a tomato now.

"I mean... I mean... I mean... SHUT UP!" Minato smiles, seeing right through her veil, but doesn't say anything.

_You_   _can do want you wants with you own_   _feelings_ , he thinks.  _I won't try to force you into it. Besides... I might have those feelings_   _too_.

Yukari stands up after calming herself a bit.

"Y-Ya know what? Never mind the piercings. L-Let's just go home, kay?" Minato nods and stands up.

**xxx**

On the way out of the mall, Yukari takes up some of Minato's load while still carrying her present so that they can hold hands on the way home.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Minato asks.

"You just did." Yukari giggles. "But seriously, sure. Anything." Minato looks down and blushes.

"Well… I kinda wanted to do this for a while now." he stutters. "But… I-I won't do it if you don't want me to." Yukari looks at Minato with sceptisism.

" _ **What is it?**_  It better not be something Stupei sleazy!" Minato rolls his eyes.

"No. No perverted stuff or anything. It's just… would you mind if I… uh…"

"If you… what?" Minato gulps.

"... C-Called you "Yuka"?" Yukari goes silent in surprise, then starts laughing, which makes Minato's face turn red.

"Aha ha ha ha!  _Yuka?!_ " she exclaims. "Um… I-I gotta admit it. That's kinda cute." Minato looks at her in surprise.

"So, you don't mind?" Minato asks. Yukari's grip tightens as she smiles at him.

"Hm... Nah." she giggles. "In fact, I really like it, so… go ahead and call me that as much as you want." Minato's grip tighten and he smiles.

"Alright… Yuka."

* * *

_**Chapter 3: End** _


	4. Last Message

It's been a day since what was supposed to be the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad's last night as a club turned into a night of total disaster.

Not only does the Dark Hour and Tartarus still remain in the world, but the chairman of the club, Shuji Ikutsuki, was revealed to be a traitor who deceived everyone into eliminating the 12 Reverse Arcana Shadows, unwillingly giving him the means to perform a ritual that brings about something called "The Fall".

Ikutsuki tried to reprogram Aigis and force her into sacrificing everyone to perform the ritual, but thanks to the bonds between her and her friends, she was able to resist long enough for Koromaru to swoop in and save the day. Ikutsuki's planned was foiled and he paid for his betrayal with his life, but it came at the cost of Mitsuru's father's life as well.

Now, with no leads on how to erase the Dark Hour, Aigis sent to the lab for repairs, and their club leader out of commission to deal with the matter of the inheritance of of her father's company, everyone waits anxiously for the move of an enemy they do not know of.

But, despite the tension filled atmosphere surrounding everyone, Minato just wants to be with his girlfriend.

**xxx**

It's late night and he wants to check on Yukari before he goes to bed. That's all he planned to do… until Fuuka confronted him.

She told him that she had found an encrypted video in a hard drive among Ikutsuki's belongings. It was the video left behind by Eiichiro Takeba, Yukari's father, the one that the chairman doctored. She was able to decode it, restore the original video to the way it was before it was changed, and transfer it to a disc. She showed it to him and asked that he be the one to show it to Yukari.

Minato stands right outside Yukari's room and looks at the disc in his right hand. Fuuka's words echo through his mind:

_You seem a lot closer to her than anyone else, so I figured it would mean the world to her if you were the one who gave her this._

He takes a deep breath, nods, and knocks on her door.

"Yuka? Yuka, you still up?"

"Oh, hang on!" A few seconds later, she opens the door. Minato smiles to see her wearing her long pink jacket and brown boots.

"In your lounge wear already, huh?" he asks. Yukari smiles.

"Well, yeah," she giggles. "So, what's up?"

"Nothing, really. I just wanted to make sure you're okay before I call it." Yukari tilts her head.

"Am I seriously the only thing you think about?" she teases. Minato smirks.

"Rain or shine. Day and night. Sunrise to sunset. 24/7... Haven't reached 365 yet." Yukari blushes and giggles as she gives him a brief hug.

" _Awww_... You're so sweet. But I'm okay, thanks. Ya know, it's really nice to have someone who always thinks about you." Yukari notices the disc in his hand.

"Isn't a little late for a movie?" Minato knows she's talking about the CD he's holding in his right hand.

"Huh? Oh, no! Fuuka gave me this." He looks down at it and frowns.

"She... said she found this encrypted video in a hard drive in all of Ikutsuki's crap. She restored the video and showed it to me and then… said I should be the one to give it to you." Minato holds the disk in front of Yukari's face.

"Yukari… There's something you need to see. Mind if I come in?" Yukari looks down the hall to the stairs to makes sure no one's coming, then beckons Minato to come in. Minato enters the room, Yukari closing the door behind him, and looks around.

"Kinda guessed it would be bursting with pink," he says. "It's nice."

"Thanks." Minato looks at Yukari.

"Speaking of pink, have I ever told you my opinion about that outfit?"

"No. Why? What's wrong with it?" Minato turns his back to Yukari and smirks.

"Oh, nothing... Just that I've never seen you look sexier than when you're wearing that."

"Tch! Pervert!" Minato laughs as he feels the pillow that Yukari throws at him hit him in the back. He sits down on the bed next to Yukari as she takes out her laptop and turns it on.

"Hey… you're as pissed as I am right now, aren't you?" Yukari ask with an irritated look on her face.

"Well, you know how I say almost nothing ever really gets to me?" Minato asks. "Well... this was one of those things that got to me."

"Ngh... I still can't believe it. We fought like idiots all this time and we ended up planning right into that psycho's hands." Minato looks down.

"I'm gonna be honest. I had this bad feeling about Ikutsuki when I started working with you guys. I didn't know what it was, but... I knew something was off about him." Yukari grips hard at her jacket.

"He used my father to try to bring about the Fall… I ended up being used, just like he was… And he even killed Mitsuru-senpai's dad." Minato holds Yukari's hand to calm her down.

"After all this time," she sighs. "We're back to square one. We don't even know what we're fighting against anymore." Minato looks at Yukari.

"Well, that's not completely true," he says to her. "We made some progress in Tartarus, didn't we?" Yukari mets her boyfriend's eyes.

"Yeah, I guess."

"So, we go back to the old plan: Keep climbing and hope we find an answer." Yukari smiles and nods, with Minato giving her a little hope. She turns on the CD player program on her laptop. Minato gives the CD to her and she inserts it into her laptop. A video starts to play and Eiichiro appears on the screen.

**"I pray this recording reaches safe hands."**

Yukari recognizes her father.

"Wait… That video?!"

"Keep watching," Minato says.

**"My employer has become obsessed with a loathsome idea… This experiment should have never even been conceived. That's why I had no choice but to interrupt it. However, in doing so, I released a number of Shadows that are sure to torment future generations. But, if I hadn't, the entire world may have paid the price."**

Yukari notices something different about this video and the one she saw earlier.

**"Please listen carefully. I cannot stress this enough! You must NOT hunt the Shadows that have dispersed!"**

Yukari grabs the screen.

"Huh…? This part's…"

**"I wasn't able to stop this madness... He won't listen no matter what I say… He's under the devil's spell. Now, the Shadows are trying to eat one another… But if they're reunited, then we are all doomed! I'll say this once more: Leave the Shadows be!"**

Yukari eyes widen, shocked by the truth that was just revealed.

"This… T-This is the original video… Before Ikutsuki changed it… Dad tried to stop the experiment." Minato remains silent, as if to let the video speak for itself.

**"There's not much hope for me now… I have just one favor to ask. Whoever finds this… please… give my beautiful daughter, Yukari, this message."**

Yukari leans closer to the screen and Minato looks down, knowing full well what her father was about to say as he pulls a small picture frame out of his lab coat, look at it and, with pain filled tears in his eyes and a choked up voice, continues on.

**"I know I promised I'd be home soon… and I'm so sorry that I've broken that promise…"**

He sadly smiles, then shows the picture of him and Yukari as a baby to the camera, making the grown-up Yukari's heart tighten up.

**"But I want you to know… Daddy was the happiest man on earth when he was with you."**

Tears start forming in Yukari's eyes as she smiles and reaches out to her father on the screen.

**"I love you, Yukari. Please… be a good girl... and take care of yourself…"**

He was about to die and the only thing he thought about was his daughter. This is another thing that would make her love him more. Minato wants to stop the video there, but stops himself.

"D-Dad?" It instantly turns Yukari's warmed heart to rubble to see her father smile, like how he used to smile at her when she was little, before flaming debris floods the screen. Minato looks away and shuts his eyes as she shakes the screen and cries out to her father.

"Dad?!... D-Daddy?!" The video cuts off. At a complete loss for words, she slowly sets the laptop aside and hangs her head, letting the tears drop from her face, feeling more love from her father now than she received from his letter he wrote for her ten years ago.

"... _Daddy… don't go..._ " Her eyesight is blurred by the tears, but she can clearly see Minato's hand wrap around hers.

"Yuka…"

She looks up at her boyfriend, who smiles at her and opens his arms to her. Yukari's body starts to tremble as she tearfully smiles, filled with great happiness that the person she cares for most is right beside her, that he's the one who told her to keep believing, and that he personally delivered her father's final message to her.

" _M-Minato… you..._ " She throws her onto him, burying her face in his chest and wrapping her arms around him, and lets all her emotions pour out like a flood gate.

"T-Thank you!" she cries out. "Thank you… so much! ... **Thank you** …" Minato hugs her tightly, comforting the person he cares for most after hearing her father's final words.

It takes a few moments for Yukari to let out all her emotion. She sits up and rubs the tears away from her eyes.

"I-I… I know one thing for sure now…" she sniffs. "You were right… when you told me to keep believing." She looks up at the ceiling and smiles.

"Are you listening, Dad?" she calls out. "I'm doing okay... It took a while, but I finally got your message." Suddenly, Minato senses a strong power build up within Yukari. He looks up and sees an image of Io.

"I'll keep fighting for what I believe in," Yukari says. "That's what you would have wanted… Right, Dad?" Light engulfs Io and when it clears, it has turned into a new Persona: Isis. Minato ponders whether or not to tell her, but he smiles and figures that she'll find out soon enough.

He looks back at Yukari.

"You see?" he asks. "I told you, didn't I?" Yukari looks back at Minato as he wipes away her tears.

"It's okay not to know what to do sometimes… but never stop believing in the people you love." Yukari smiles and nuzzles the palms of his hands. Those are the exact same words he said to her when he comforted her at Yakushima. She didn't need his arms wrapped around her to feel security anymore. She now feels that everytime she's with him.

"Minato… thank you." Minato nods and chuckles. Yukari looks down as she sniffs.

"H-Hey… um… C-Can you..." Minato leans in close and she looks up at him with tearful puppy dog eyes.

"S-Stay with me… please? J-Just til I fall asleep?" Minato nods. Yukari puts the laptop away and lays down on her side, allowing him to cover her with her blanket. Minato turns off the lights, sits on the floor next to her bed, and rubs her sides over the blanket. Yukari moans and gently smiles, loving the way he's comforting her.

"Mm… I'm never alone as long as you're here, am I?" she asks. Minato shakes his head.

"I'll never let you feel alone ever again," he whispers. Yukari giggles.

"Thank you… Good night, Minato." Yukari slowly loses consciousness, making sure his face is the last thing she sees.

_Never stop believing in the people you love, huh?_  she thinks.  _I guess that means…_ _I'll never stop believing in you._

She lets out a deep sigh as she finally closes her eyes. Minato stands up and smiles at the beautiful sleeping girl.

"Good night, Yuka."

* * *

_**Chapter 4: End** _


	5. Loved Again

Even though there's been no progress in finding a way to erase the Dark Hour lately, Minato's been living life pretty normally lately. He's been going to Kendo and Student Council, studying like he normally does, and spending every free day he has with his girlfriend. Considering the crazy circumstances, he's been pretty relaxed.

**xxx**

It's lunchtime at school. As Minato leaves his classroom, he sees Yukari walking down the hallway hanging her head in deep thought. He didn't know what was bothering her, but whatever it was, he'd always jump straight to help with a smile on his face. He calls out to her.

"Hey, you!" Yukari jumps, looks around, and sighs when she sees that it's him.

"O-Oh, hey! Whew, you scared me!"

" _He he._ Sorry." Minato chuckles. "Hey, something on your mind? You looked like you were a million miles away." Yukari blushed, switching her eyes from side to side.

"Oh! U-Uh… well, um…" She gulps and rubs the back of her neck.

"Are you alright?" Minato asks.

"I-I'm fine!" she exclaims, still fidgeting. "It's just… uh… hey, what days are you free?" Minato knocks on the classroom door.

" _Hello?_  You know that already! I'm free after school today-"

"Y-Yeah! Of course I know that!" Yukari laughs nervously. Minato scratches his head in confusion.

" _O-kay?_  Well, I'm all for going somewhere today. Do you have a place in mind?" Yukari's eyes switch from side to side again as she rubs her arm up and down.

"Um… A-A place in mind." Yukari repeats. "Uh… C-Can I get back to you on that? I-I should have a pretty good idea before school's over." Minato shrugs.

"No rush. Take all the time you-" Yukari quickly nods.

"Cool! Well, I-I gotta go! I'll see you later!" Yukari rushes off toward the stairs.

"Takeba! No running in the halls!" a teacher shouts. Minato stands there, confused by what just happened.

"When did she start being such a spaz?"

**xxx**

A few hours later, Minato waits for Yukari at the school gate after class gets out. He sees her walking towards him and waves.

"So, you get any ideas for today?" he asks her. Yukari blushes and takes a deep breath.

"Um… m-m-my room?" she mumbles. Minato tilts his head.

"Okay. What about it?" Yukari stays silent, her face getting redder with each passing second. Minato blushes when he realizes what she's trying to say.

"Y-You… you want take me to… your room?" he stutters. This took Minato completely by surprise. He's been to her room before, but he had a good reason, showing her that video. Now, she's just inviting him in.

He takes a moment to calm himself down before answering.

"Um… s-sure, I-I guess. I-If you want."

**xxx**

When they get back to the dorm, the first thing they do is check the sign-in sheet. Looks like everyone's gotten back already, but no one's in the lounge and Koromaru doesn't seem to be here. Someone must be talking him out for a walk while everyone else is in their rooms. The couple quietly sneak through the building to Yukari's room, making sure no one leaves theirs and sees them. Yukari opens her room door for Minato, letting him sneak in. She steps backwards into her room, making sure the coast is clear.

"Anyone out there?" Minato asks her. She shakes her head and closes the door behind her.

"Looks like we made it," she whispers. Minato sighs in relief, then quickly feels the tension of the current situation. He's on a date in a girl's room. He's never felt so uncomfortable.

"Oh! There are cushions on the bed," Yukari says, pointing to said cushions. Minato grabs two cushions and gives one to Yukari. They both lay their cushions down on the ground, and sit on them. An awkward silence fills the room as they look in different directions. Yukari gulps, wipes the sweat off her face, and lets out a sheepish laugh.

"Uh, he he… I-I'm so nervous for some reason..."

"Oh good. Then it's not just me," Minato says.

"Yeah. Everyone's in their room too... I hope no one finds out I snuck you in here... If I accidentally scream, everybody will hear me…" Minato's heart stops for a second.

_Wait, **scream**?!_  he thinks to himself. Catching what she said, Yukari gasps, covers her mouth, and facepalms herself.

"W-What am I saying?!" she exclaims in a whisper. "Don't get the wrong idea, okay?!" Minato hangs his head.

"Ugh… S-Sorry. Too late." he groans. Yukari's face turns into a tomato.

"H-H-Hey! Don't be such a pervert! I didn't mean it like  **that**!"

"How am  **I**  the pervert here?!  **You're**  the one who put it in my head, saying something like that!" Yukari gives Minato a narrow-eyed look.

"Yeah, or maybe you still have Shirakawa Boulevard on the brain," she says. "That's why you were there at the hot spring back in Kyoto, wasn't it?" Minato's face turns into a tomato.

"Whoa, wha-?! Okay! First of all, what happened at that hotel wasn't my fault!" he objects. "I was just as surprised as you were! Second, and I keep telling you: what happened at Kyoto was a complete misunderstanding! It's was Stupei and Ryoj-idiot's fault! Why don't you… Huh?"

As Minato rants on, he notices Yukari snickering. He starts snickering too, realizing she just pulled another playful tease on him with that last part.

"That's messed up, Total Tease Takeba." It may have been a sneaky trick, but she did manage to erase the tension in the room. The two ended up talking for a long time, just like they did on their usual dates. It seem like no matter where they were, they're still able to enjoy their time together.

**xxx**

An hour or two passes before Yukari remembers why she invited Minato to her room today. She stands up and walks over to her bag.

"Oh yeah! I actually wanted to give you something," she says. Minato stands up as she digs through her bag. Yukari finds what she's looking for, walks back to Minato, and grabs his right hand. She puts the concealed present in her right fist in his hand, closes it, and pushes it back to him.

"Here... This is for you." Minato opens his hand and sees a familiar piece of string. He pinches it between his index finger and thumb to hold it in place.

"Hey… Hold on…" Yukari nods.

"You know what it is, right? It's the strap from my cell phone." Yukari places her hand under his, only letting her fingertips touch it.

"I got it at the opening ceremony for the Moonlight Bridge. It's been my special keepsake for many years… ever since my dad bought it for me." Yukari bats around the toy attached to it with her finger.

"I used to talk to this little toy figurine attached to it when I was here in my room." she giggles. "Hm… you must think I'm nuts, huh?" Minato smirks.

"Change that to crazy... and put "adorable" at the end." Yukari blushes at his bold compliment.

"A-Anyway, I just noticed recently," she says. "As time went on… I kinda just stopped talking to it." Yukari frowns.

"I think I figured out why… The reason I started talking to it... was because I wanted something to help me run away from the here and now. I… wanted to run away into the happy memories I had before he died. I used it as a tool to act like a damsel in distress… I started getting mad at myself for it." Yukari looks up at Minato.

"That's why I want you to hold onto it for me. Just until I can stop running. Until I can go see my mom with my head held high and we can reminisce about Dad together." Minato smiles and nods.

"I'll take really good care of it til then," he says. Yukari nods, knowing he can keep that promise. She looks down at the ground, then shakes her head.

"Ugh! No, no, no, no." she mumbles.

"What? What's wrong?"

"T-That's not the reason I'm giving it to you. I don't want you to keep it safe for me and give it back when I see my mom. I-I want you to  _keep_  it. I'm  _giving_  it to you. And… I should tell you  **why**  I'm giving it to you."

"Well, don't worry," Minato says. "I'm all ears." Yukari takes a deep breath.

"Well… even though I used it as a tool, this strap is still very important to me. I don't need it anymore, so… it would make sense to give it to someone who's important to me too." Yukari pauses to find the right words to say.

"Actually… the reason I started talking to it less and less… and the reason I started to realize why I was talking to it in the first place… was because I spent all the free time I had getting to know you. You've been giving me so many happier memories... and made me feel like I'm not alone anymore. I know I can be the biggest temperamental mess most of the time, like taking a compliment and making it sound like an insult... and I have a lot of other issues too... but you stayed with me through it all without a single big complaint... I never thought anyone would ever do so much for me."

Minato smiles warmly at her, moved by her words. This whole time, he's been help her tackle another one of her inner problems by just being with her.

"Well... glad I could help…" he says. "You know I'm always here for you, no matter how much of a mess you are." Yukari slightly nods and twiddles her thumbs.

"I… I-I know I told you before that... you're really important to me," she murmurs. "But… I-I don't think I've made it clear just... how much." Yukari stares at Minato with a serious look on her face.

"So... you better pay attention, 'cause… I-I'm only gonna say this once... okay?" Minato hesitates as his heart starts pounding out of his chest. Feeling like he knows what she's about to say, he gulps, braces himself, then slowly nods back at her.

Yukari hangs her head, looking down again, her body and her voice trembling with fear, her breath starting to grow ragged, and her throat clenching itself tightly. She balls her hands into fists, which start to shake, shuts her eyes, and gulps.

_C'mon!_   _Why is this so hard?!_ she thinks.  _It's just three words! Just hurry up and say it!_  Minato starts shaking a bit himself just looking at her as she slowly forces the words choking up her throat out of her mouth.

"M-M-Minato… I... I-I…" She takes a long, deep breath, then slowly lifts her head up and stares straight into Minato's gray eyes. As he stares back into hers, Minato feels something inside him being pulled closer to her by some mysterious force. At first he tried to resist because it came by surprise, but he easily lets himself be pulled in by the force. The next time he blinks, the room seem brighter for some reason. Either his eyesight is going screwy… or that force pulling him in is making his world seem brighter.

Yukari seems to have relaxed from the tension. Her shaking has stopped, her fists have opened, and the tense look on her face has melted away. It's as if all the fear she had was washed away in an instant.

Minato gazes at her as she gently puts on an innocent smile, which seems even more beautiful than usual, and with her fear completely gone, she puts her hands over her heart as she lets out what she needs to say in an ever so soft, sincere, and sweet voice.

"...  _ **I... love you...**_ "

Having said he piece, Yukari quickly turns away, not seeing Minato's eyes widen and his slowly jaw drop in complete and utter shock. A warm feeling in his heart begins to grow, seemingly without end. This didn't just take him by surprise; It completely overwhelmed him, even when he had braced himself for it.

Yukari lets out a loud sigh of relief as she wipes the sweat off her brow.

" _ **Whew!**_  I said it!" Minato's body is almost completely frozen. He slowly hangs his head and looks down at Yukari's treasured cell phone strap. Then , he balls his hand into a fist and his lips start to quiver. The way she looked at him when she said those words, the force that he was feeling. He knows she's not joking... which it all the more heartrending.

The red faced Yukari smiles and nods, proud that was able to confess her deep feelings for him.

_Geez! That was sooo embarrassing!_  she thinks.  _I think my face is on fire..._ _But... I still did it!_

She suddenly hears his heavy breathing. She turns to him, seeing his body shake.

"Minato?" She kneels down a bit to try and see his face and notices something falling from it. She grabs his shoulder and shakes him.

"Hey, Minato?" Minato, having returned to reality in response to her touch, jerks his head up.

"H-H-H-Huh?!" Yukari covers her mouth and gasps in shock, seeing a face what she never thought she'd see on Minato. Twin waterfalls of tears running from his red eyes, down his cheeks, and drop off his chin. All of the things she thought she'd never see, Minato crying is definitely at the top of her list.

"Minato…! A-Are you…?!" Minato suddenly feels the tears run down his face, wipes his cheek, and looks at his hand to see the tears. His eyes widen even more.

"W-Wha…? I-I'm…" It's been so long since he's shed tears before. It's unbelievable that after ten years of feeling nothing, he's crying again. The tears don't seem to stop as he tries to hold back his sobs.

"M-Minato?!" Yukari hesitates to reach out to Minato as his held back sobbing seems to only get louder and his tears drop onto the palm of his hand.

_Oh crap!_   _Was that a bad call?!_ she thought.  _D-Did I accidentally hurt him?!_ She grabs both sides of his arms in a haste.

"M-Minato?! H-Hey, what's the matter?! What's wrong?!" Minato hangs his head again, continuing to sob. Yukari feels a wave of guilt rush over her.

_My god!_ Yukari thinks.  _That_ _ **did**_ _hurt him, didn't it?!_

"Minato?! Minato, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to…!"

_Yukari, you idiot! What the hell did you just do?!_

Suddenly, she starts hearing Minato's sobbing turn into laughing. He lifts his head, revealing his smile, and wipes his tears away.

"Aha ha… N-N-No. N-No, it's okay." he says with his voice trembling. "T-That… t-that just hit me harder than I thought it would, I guess." He continues to laugh.

"A-And, uh… w-who could blame me, right? I-I-It's… i-it's been so long since someone I really cared about really say that to me. I-It feels like... my heart just started up again... I-I feel like I turned back to the way I used to be... I-It's… it's amazing...!" Yukari starts to smile, relieved that she didn't unintentionally hurt him after all and happy that she seems to have helped him revive his feelings from his childhood.

"Minato…" Minato stops rubbing his eyes.

"I-It's not even up for debate... I-I've never been this happy before in my whole life...!" Even though his eyes are blurred, he can clearly see Yukari in front of him as he puts on his biggest smile.

"Y-Yuka… I-I… I-I love you too!"

Having said his piece, he starts bursting out laughing with tears of joy running down his face. The words he just spoke and the warm emotions he's expressing now, mixed with the fact that he was almost like a heartless shell when they first met months ago, makes Yukari start to tear up a bit, prompting her to rub her eyes and laugh.

" _Ha ha ha!_ Come on, stupid!" she says. "You're gonna make me cry too!" Minato rubs his eyes again.

"R-Right. Sorry."

The couple take a few minutes to recover from the very tender moment they shared. They both take a deep breath.

" _Whew._ Well, that just happened," Yukari says.

"Uh... hey. Y-You don't think... anyone heard us, do you?" Minato asks out of embarrassment. Yukari lets out a deep sigh.

"I'd honestly be surprised if someone didn't. Let's just hope Mitsuru-senpai didn't hear it or we'll get in  _sooo_  much trouble." Minato laughs, then smiles as he stares at his girlfriend.

"You know… I'm really looking forward to that mountain trip now," he says.

"Yeah. It'll be nice to have so much time alone." She blushes and looks down.

"I-In fact… would it be alright if I jumped the gun a bit and… spent some of that time with you today?" She slowly steps as close as she can to Minato and rubs up and down her left arm.

"I-I... I-I wanna spend some more time together… just the two of us…" Minato gives her a gentle smile, wraps his arms around her waist, and pulls her in close. Yukari feels the familiar security of being held by Minato. The warmth of his body so comforting, she could stay in it forever.

"I-I'm blushing, aren't I…?" she giggles. Minato sneaks his right hand behind her shoulder and rubs his finger against her cheek.

"Hm... You're the cutest when you blush." Yukari's smile grew bigger at the sound of his heart beating.

"U-Um... you don't mind if I... say it again, do you?" Minato shakes his head.

"Say it as much as you want." Yukari lets out a comforting sigh, wraps her arms around Minato's waist, and pulls him in tight, pulling herself up to whisper in his ear.

"I love you, Minato... I love you so much." She nuzzles her face into his shoulder.

Minato smiles for a bit, then frowns. He's enjoying the feel of Yukari embracing him back, holding each other as close as possible, but this... this felt strange. It wasn't bad, per se. It just made him feel… unsatisfied. They had just confessed their love to each other… so this won't cut it anymore.

"Not enough..." he whispers. Yukari hears him.

"Hm?" Minato gently pushes Yukari away and looks down, with a troubled look on his face.

"It… It's not enough anymore..." Yukari stares at him, confused.

He needed more than just a hug. He needed to prove to her that he believes that what they have is special and, most of all, real. One thing comes straight to his mind. At first, he hesitant, thinking about what might happen if he tried it. Then, he thinks back to the feeling he had when Yukari confessed to him.

_Worth a shot, I guess_ , he thinks to himself. He knows she loves him, so there's really no harm in trying.

He takes a deep breath through the nose, looks at Yukari, and gently brushes his right hand across her cheek. Yukari's face turns redder.

"W-What're you…?" He leans in close, tilting his head and slowly closing his eyes as he does so. Her eyes widen and her head reels back slightly in retreat as his face looms closer.

"U-Uh, w-wait. Mina- **_Mmph!_** "

Yukari's sentence is cut off and her heart feels like it's completely stopped when Minato's lips press gently against hers. Minato feels the initial shock of her lips tensing up, but he doesn't care. Her face glows red as he traps it with both hands, not allowing her to escape.

Yukari's shock slowly melts away as a warm feeling envelops her heart and she notices the sweet taste of his lips and how soft and warm they feel against hers. She slowly closes her eyes and moans as she presses her lips a bit harder against his and lets her hips slowly swing slightly from side to side. She creeps her hands up and over his shoulders then wraps her arms around his neck, he returns his left hand to her waist and puts his right hand behind her head, and they both pull each other further into the kiss, Yukari being lifted slightly off the ground. Time seemed to slow around them as their lips rub against each other until they finally part.

Yukari gives Minato a quick peck before opening her eyes and staring into his. She smirks at him as she rests her forehead on his and keeps his left hand on her cheek with her right hand.

"... That enough for you?" she giggles. Minato slightly nods.

"Hm... More than enough," he says. Yukari closes her eyes and chuckles.

_I still can't believe it,_ she thinks.  _My first kiss!_

Minato starts to to groan and his eyelids starts to drop on their own. The intense romance he just went through must have drained him mentally.

"Aww, poor baby. Is someone feeling a widdle sleepy?" Yukari teases as she pinches his cheek.

"Can't you… spare me the…" Minato shakes his head and yawns.

"Ugh, forget it… Too tired to chew you out."

"Hm… Wanna lay down for a bit?" Minato nods as she slowly pulls him into bed.

**xxx**

It's late night now. Yukari slowly opens her eyes as she lies in bed, sitting up against the headboard, noticing how dark it is. She sees her ribbon and sweater jacket and Minato's uniform jacket on her desk, where they left them because it seemed too warm, for some reason.

_Guess I fell asleep too_ , she thinks.

She hears Minato's moan and looks to see him snuggled up with her, with his head laying on her shoulder, his right arm stretching under her and wrapping around her waist, and his left arm stretching her chest with the elbow bent, so that he can latch high onto her right arm.

She stares at Minato's sleeping face, smiles, and rubs her fingertips on his cheek. She remembers that face from when she was waiting for him to wake up at the hospital after he awakened his power. She'd never seen someone sleep so peacefully.

_Ya know… I don't think there's anything I find cuter than seeing you sleeping_ , she thinks. As if he heard her thought, Minato starts talking in his sleeping.

"Yuka… promise… always… together…" It's broken up, but Yukari can clearly make out what he's saying. She wraps one arm around him.

"Yeah… We'll always be together," she tells him. Minato smiles as Yukari looks out the window.

_It's really late_ , she thinks. She smiles at him, kisses him on his forehead, wraps her other arm around him, and pulls him in close, being very careful not to wake him up.

"No one'll notice… if you're not in your room tonight." She closes her eyes, allowing the warm embrace of her lover to send her back to slumber.

* * *

_**Chapter 5: End** _


	6. Your Life Is My Gift

When you love someone with everything you have and you know that they feel the same way, it really shows. There's no way around it, even if your emotions have been cut off from you for almost your whole life. You can't hide what you feel because they always have to know.

**xxx**

Ever since Yukari professed her love for him, Minato always seems much happier whenever she's around, and vice versa. However, they still try their best to keep the fact that the rumor that they're an item is true a secret from the school. They want to talk during break? They compare the notes they take after class. They want to spend lunch together? They gather Junpei, Aigis, and Fuuka in a group. They only reveal the fact that they're close to the public, but they make sure the public still think the rumor is still just that. A rumor.

**xxx**

It's Sunday morning at the dorm. Minato comes out of the bathroom and sees Junpei.

"Mornin'," Minato says to him. Minato notices Junpei's snickering at him.

"What's up with you?"

"Nothin', man," Junpei says. "I was just thinkin'… you and Yuka-tan seem pretty tight lately, ya know?" Minato tilts his head.

"You think so?"

"Hey, I've known that girl for years and let me tell ya, I've  **never**  seen her have more fun than when she's with you. She has a better sense of humor and her friggin' mood swings happen less often. And that smile on her face? It's like it's oozing out her happy." Minato scratches his head with a tinge of doubt.

"Y-Yeah, well… I guess," he mumbles.

"There's no guessing about it, man! And it's not just her! You seem different from your same old gloomy self! You should see the way you look at each other!" Minato starts blushing.

"I-Is it really that obvious?" Junpei laughs and looks down.

"Oh, c'mon. There's nothin' to be embarrassed about. Believe me… I had it before too, remember?"

Minato looks to him, realizing that he's talking about how he fell in love with Chidori, the female member of the enemy Persona user faction, Strega. She had just recently passed away when she gave up her life to revive him after he suffered a mortal gun wound at the hands of Strega's leader, Takaya. He was finally able to recover yesterday after he received her sketch pad from the hospital.

Junpei looks back to him and sadly smiles.

"Hey… take good care of her, man," he tells him. "Hold her close and never let her go." Minato nods and presses his fist on Junpei's chest, where his heart is.

"She's not going anywhere, Junpei," he says. "She's right here. Always." Junpei puts his hand over his heart and nods, knowing that his life is now both of his and Chidori's.

Minato suddenly remembers something he wanted to ask Junpei about.

"Oh, hey! I've actually been meaning to ask! Do you know when Yukari's birthday is?" Junpei looks up at the ceiling.

"Huh? Oh, uh… what's today? November 29th, right?"

"Yeah." Junpei looks to Minato.

"One month plus ten days ago." Minato is shocked.

"October 19th?!" he exclaims. "Hold on, why didn't she tell me? We could've done something special." Junpei scratches his head.

"To tell you the truth dude, she doesn't really celebrate her birthday. She doesn't really like anyone giving her presents on her birthday, either."

"Really? Why not?" Junpei shrugs.

"I dunno. I tried asking her if she wanted something for her birthday a few years back and she told me,  **very bluntly** , not to. When I went behind her back and got her something anyway, she snapped at me. Never told me why."

The two see Yukari walking down the hallway.

"Mornin'!" she says. The two wave at her as she walks to the stairs.

"Minato, I'm going out with some friends, so I'll see you later, okay?"

"Alright. Be safe." Yukari stops in front of the stairs and contemplates whether she should just go or give Minato a goodbye kiss first. She really wants to, but Junpei's right there.

"What's wrong?" Minato asks, noticing her just standing there. She shakes her head, then turns around to skip over to Minato.

"Nothing... Just forgot something." She wraps her arms around his neck to pull him into a kiss, then giggles as she skips over to and walks down the stairs. Junpei walks over to Minato and whispers in his ear.

"See? Didn't even care I was here." As soon as she's out of sight, Minato leans towards Junpei.

"That's not gonna work with me," he whispers. "I don't care if it's late. I'm gonna do something for her birthday." Junpei smirks.

"Hmph. Somehow, I knew you'd say that." Minato turns to him and scratches his head.

"I wanna get this done by the first. Thing is… I... actually haven't celebrated my birthday in long time either. You've known her longer than I have too, so… think you can help me out?" Junpei nods.

"Sure, man. I got your back."

**xxx**

Minato and Junpei went around the city to make plans for Yukari's birthday surprise. The first place they go to is the local grocery store to stroll down the baking aisle.

"First thing we need to do, obviously," Minato says. "Is figure out what kind of dessert to make her."

"We're gonna  **make**  it?" Junpei asks. "Why don't we just grab something from the sweets shop at the strip mall?" Minato crosses his arms.

"Actually,  **I'm**  making it. You're just here for reference… and carrying the bags. Plus, it'll be more personal if I make it myself."

"Yeah, but you know Yuka-tan when it comes to keeping her oh so precious waistline in check. You sure she'd go for it?" Minato shoots a narrow-eyed looks at him.

"Not really. It's traditional, though, so whatever. And hey, weren't you going on and on about how her club training toned her bod, like a sleazy old man, back at Yakushima?"

"Hey, your eyes were glued to her just as much as mine were! You couldn't keep 'em off her moderate sized ra-!"

" ** _My! Point! Is!_**... Gaining a couple extra pounds and pumping her stomach up a bit won't kill her. Plus, I'll take some of it off her hands if she wants." They stop in the middle aisle, examining all the options.

"So, what do you think she'd like?" Minato asks.

"Whaddya mean "What do you think she'd like"? The obvious choice is cake." Minato scratches his head.

"Yeah, well... I kind of want to do my own thing her, though." Junpei looks at him with concern.

"Are you sure? You don't want to end up poisoning her, do you?" Minato glares at him.

"Oh, like you've seen me cook! I'm not a Fuuka-tastrophe chef! I can handle it!" Junpei puts his hand on his chin.

"Alright. Hm…" Junpei smiles when something catches his eye.

"Can't go wrong with fudge," he says. "And some ice cream to go with it." Minato nods and grabs the box Junpei is pointing to and comes up with an idea.

"Hey… how about a fudge cake?" Junpei throws his hands in the air.

"Do whatever you wanna do, man."

**xxx**

The duo then go to Paulownia Mall and enter the Be Blue V accessory store.

"Next, we need to pick out a present for her," Minato says. Junpei looks at him with concern.

"Dude, do you even know which one of these she'd like?" he asks.

"Hmph. I wish. I could've gotten some practice in one time when we were out, but something happened and we decided to wing it." Junpei hangs his head and groans.

"Ya know, maybe an accessory store isn't the best place to start." A female store clerk walks up to them.

"Hello," she says with a smile. "You two looking for something nice for your special ladies?" Minato raises his hand.

"That would be me. Do you have any preferences?"

"That depends. Do have any kind of accessory do you think would work?" Minato crosses his arms and closes his eyes to think. He remembers that Yukari asked him to pick out some piercings for her before they decided to go home.

"I guess… ear piercings? The store clerk nods.

"Perfect. Follow me." The boys follow the clerk around.

**xxx**

Finally, they go to a party theme store.

"Now, we're gonna get some decorations," Minato says as he starts picking out streamers.

"Whoa, wait! Decorations?!" Junpei repeats. "Are you planning a party?! I thought this something just for you and her!"

"It is. I'm just gonna decorate my room so we can do it there. A special private party for two." Junpei smirks like a sleazy old man.

"A special private party, huh?!  _Ooh_ , you sly old dog, you! That's gonna be one hell of a party!" Junpei starts laughing and Minato blushes.

"Gah, Stupei! It's not that kind of party!" he squealed.

**xxx**

It's evening now and the two are back at the dorm putting up the decorations for the B-Day party for two in Minato's room. They stretch out after being able to finish.

"Whew! Finally done!" Junpei exclaims. "So uh, what's the plan?"

"I still need to make the fudge cake," Minato says. "I'll do that tomorrow. Then I want to make her a birthday card. I'll start tonight before I go to sleep, then get it done at school. Then, I just bring her here on the first and… see what happens." Junpei nods.

"Wow. You really got this all figured out, huh?" Minato smiles and looks at the red paper banner with the words "Happy Birthday, Yuka!" painted pink on it.

"Yeah… Anything for her."

**xxx**

The next day went exactly as planned. Minato was able to finish the birthday card during class and make the birthday fudge cake at the dorm before Yukari came home. Everything was set up perfectly.

**xxx**

It's now the first of December and school has ended. Minato and Yukari are sitting together in class, along with Junpei, Fuuka, and Aigis. Yukari notices Fuuka smiling.

"You seem happy today, Fuuka," she says to her. "Did something good happen?" Fuuka turns to her.

"Hm? Oh, no. Nothing in particular," Fuuka says. "I just always feel happy when this month comes around."

"Really? Why's that?" Aigis turns to Fuuka.

"Fuuka-san, is it because your date of birth is on the 22nd of December?" she asks her. Yukari is surprised.

"O-Oh! Y-Your birthday's coming up?" Yukari asks Fuuka. Fuuka nods.

"Mm hm. I don't know why, but I always feel happier when my birth month comes around. Don't you?" Yukari crosses her arms.

"Well… um…" Junpei smiles as he turns to Minato and winks.

"Heh! Of course you should!" he says. "That's your body telling you "It's the day you were born! Let's party!" Right, Minato?" Minato smiles and nods.

"Yeah. It's a pretty big day for you," he says. "Of course you'd want to celebrate." Yukari looks down and frowns.

"I-I guess…" Everyone turns to Yukari.

"What's wrong, Yukari-chan?" Fuuka asks.

"W-Well… I don't really celebrate my birthday… and I personally don't want to." Fuuka frowns.

"You don't? Why not?" Yukari takes a deep breath.

"To tell the truth… when my dad died… it was right before my sixth birthday." Everyone is shocked, Minato most of all.

"He promised me that he'd take all of us, him, me, and my mom, to Destinyland for my birthday. I was really looking forward to it, and it broke my heart that day when I realized he couldn't keep his promise. Me and my mom got into a really nasty fight that day too. That's when I decided that I didn't want to stay with her anymore. It's… kinda the day everything fell apart." She rubs the back of her neck.

"I… I just don't want to think about the bad birthday memories from ten years ago. That's all." Yukari looks at Junpei and laughs.

"Aha ha ha! I still remember when I got mad at you cuz you got me a present when I told you not to." Yukari notices the dumbfounded look on Junpei's face.

"Huh? What's up with you?"

"Uh…" She sees Junpei looking towards Minato. She turns to him and sees him cringing, holding a piece of paper in his right hand.

"Minato? What's wrong?" Minato puts his left hand on his face.

"I… I-I…" He quickly jumps up from his seat.

"I'm sorry!" He runs off through the door and out of the room.

"Minato?!" Yukari tries to rush after him. Then, she notices that he dropped the piece of paper that was in his hand. She picks it up and is surprised to see that is a handcrafted invitation slip.

It reads as follows:

* * *

" _You been formally invited to your Belated 17th B-Day Party 4 2!"_

Time: After school

Place: Iwatodai S.E.E.S. Dormitory, Minato Arisato's room

Special Guest: Minato Arisato

_"Just knock on the door when you're ready to party!"_

* * *

"Wait… what's…?"

"Uh, Yuka-tan?" Yukari turns to Junpei, who is rubbing the back of his neck.

"Listen… Minato found out he missed your birthday," he says. "He really wanted to do something special for your birthday even though it was so late, so… he planned a big birthday date for you today. It was a small party for you and him." Yukari covers her mouth and lets out a light gasp.

"He… H-He did that for  **me**?" She looks at the invitation and frowns, understanding what her boyfriend was trying to do. He loves her a lot, just like she does for him. Of course he'd want to do something for her birthday when he found out that he missed it when they were going out. Despite his usual dark side attitude, he's really like an sweet and innocent little kid deep down. And that kid tried to do something really special for her.

"... _Oh, Minato_ …"

**xxx**

Back at the dorm in his room, Minato is banging his head against the wall in self frustration.

"Stupid! Idiot! Dumb ass!" he shouts. "Why didn't you talk to her first?! Of course there'd be a reason like that, but you…  **Ugh!** " He falls back on his bed and looks at the decorations he put up in disgust, then lets out a loud sigh.

"Guess… I should start taking all these down." He suddenly hears a knock at his door.

"Sorry, but… can you just leave me alone right now?" he sighs. "I'm not in the mood to talk." He gets up from his bed and reaches for the red banner.

"But the invitation says I have to knock when I'm ready to party!" Minato stops and turns to the door. That's Yukari's voice.

"Yuka?!"

"Of course!" she shouts. "Junpei told what you were trying to do." Minato steps down from his bed.

"I'm ready to party! Can I come in?" Minato walks to the door, but stops himself before he opens it.

"Y-Yuka, I… I'm sorry," he says. "I should've talked to you about this first. I dunno why I didn't. I just… really wanted to do something special for you."

"Hey, it's okay. I'm not mad. Really. To tell you the truth, what you're trying to do… It's hands-down the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me. I haven't even seen what you did and I already... love you so much for it."

"... Yuka…" He hears Yukari giggle behind the door and knock.

"So, I'll say it again: I'm ready to party! Can I come in?" Minato smiles and clears his throat.

"Ahem… Please slide your invitation under the door." The invitation he made for her shoots out from under the door and hits his feet. He chuckles as he puts on his party hat, puts the paper tongue whistle in his mouth, and grabs the confetti shooter. He unlocks and knocks on the door, signaling Yukari to come in, and stands back. When Yukari enters the room, he pops his confetti shooter at her and blows his whistle multiple times, then drops the whistle and raises his hands like "Banzai!"

" _ **Happy belated birthday~!**_ " he shouts.

_I can't believe I just did that._

Yukari's face lits up as she gazes at the party decorations.

" _ **Wow~!**_  You did all this for  **me**?!"

"Well, Junpei helped, but yeah." Yukari walks up to him and gives him a tight hug.

" _Awww! You really are too sweet!_ " Minato hugs her back.

"Anything for you. You know that. And the best part is no one's back yet, so we can laugh and scream as loud as we want." Minato lets go of Yukari to close and lock the door.

" _Sooo_ , how does this work?" Yukari asks. Minato points to the tape circle on the floor as he grabs a piece of cloth and hands it to her.

"First activity. See that tape circle right there? Take off your shoes, stand in the middle, and put this on."

**xxx**

A few moments later, Yukari is standing in the tape circle, with its line covered in various objects, blindfolded and wielding Minato's kendo stick while Minato is on his bed holding a blue moon-shaped pinata connected to a string above her by a pole.

"Uh, Minato? I-Isn't this a little dangerous?" Yukari asks. "I-I could accidentally break something."

"That's what the circle's for," he says. "As long as you stay in it, you'll be out of range of anything. I put some stuff on its line, so you'll feel if you're about to go out of bounds." Yukari nods.

"O-Okay." Minato smiles as he hold the pinata in front of Yukari.

"Alright. Now, let's see just how bad your kendo skills are."

"Oh, shut up!" Yukari starts swing the kendo stick around and Minato tries to avoid letting her hit it while giving her hints of where it is by let it touch the kendo stick. Yukari grunts as she swing.

" **Ugh!**  Would you!  **Ngh!**  Stop!  **Ugh!**  Moving it!  **Ngh!** Around?!" Minato starts laughing.

" _Aha ha ha!_  And what fun would that be?! Oh! Think fast!" Minato makes the pinata hit her in the face.

"Ack! Hey!"

" _Ho ho ho!_  If it was a Shadow, you'd be dead!"

"Okay! It's on now!" Yukari starts swinging faster and Minato moves the pinata faster. Yukari manages to get a hit with a left side swing, then follows it up with a right swing, and finally goes for an overhead strike.

"Gotcha!" The strike snaps the string the pinata was attached to and it drops to the ground, allowing Yukari to bash away at it.

"Okay, okay! You busted it open!" Minato shouts. Yukari uncovers her blindfold and sees the busted up pinata. Minato walks up to her and she hands him the kendo stick.

"I could've done that a lot faster," he teases. Yukari punches him in the shoulder and kneels down to open the pinata.

"Huh? There's no candy in… Hold on." She reaches in a pulls out a small wrapped box and a card.

"Open the box first," Minato says. Yukari tears off the wrapping paper and opens the black box it concealed. Her face lights up as she pulls out a pair of pink, black outlined, heart ear piercings.

"W-Wow… Minato, did you pick these out yourself?" she asks.

"Since we kinda cancelled on me picking out piercings for you last time," Minato says. "It was kinda tough to choose. I asked the clerk for a preference and she showed all kind of piercings. Then I saw  **these**. I thought they'd look good with your heart choker." Yukari stands up, takes off the piercings she was just wearing, and sets them on Minato's desk. She then walks to his mirror and hands him the heart piercings.

"Here. I want  **you**  to put them on me."

"Oh! Uh… Okay." Yukari faces the mirror and closes her eyes as Minato removes the piercings from the paper. He starts with her left ear, gently stretching out her earlobe with his right hand and putting the piercing in with his left hand. He sticks it in the hole of her pierced lobe and uses the stopper to hold it in place. He switches over to her right ear, switching his hands. Yukari suddenly tenses up.

"Ow! You're pinching me!"

"Oops! S-Sorry." He lets up the grip of his left hand and puts in the piercing. Afterwards, he checks to make sure both piercings are secure.

"Okay. Open your eyes." Yukari opens her eyes and her face lights up as she gazes at her new piercing in her reflection.

"These are  _so_  cute," she says. "And they  **do**  look good with my choker." Yukari turns to smile at Minato.

"You did a really good job. Thank you." She tries to give him another hug, but he stops her.

"Wait. Hold that thought." Minato walks past her and kneels down to his mini-fridge.

"Sit down on the bed and close your eyes," he tells her. He opens the fridge, pulls out the fudge cake he baked yesterday, and places it on the ground. He pulls out a pack of candles, a one and a seven candle, and a pack of matches. He puts the number candles in the center of the cake, then puts seventeen stick candles around it, and lights them all with a match. He takes a deep breath, stands up with the cake in hand, and starts singing the "Happy Birthday" song as he walks over to Yukari.

" _Happy birthday to you_." Yukari opens her eyes and giggles when he sees him with the cake, causing him to giggle.

"Aha ha ha.  _Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Yuka."_ Minato sits down on the bed next Yukari and places the cake on her lap.

" _Happy birthday to you._ " Yukari laughs and claps her hands over the cake.

"I never thought you would actually sing that to me," she says.

"Hm. Yeah. Well… you know the drill." Yukari stares at her cake, takes a deep breath, and blows out the candles. Minato reaches for the butter knife and napkin he set on his desk as Yukari pulls the candles out of the cake. She puts them in the napkin he sets down on the bed and stares at her cake again as he gets the ice cream out of the mini-fridge. He notices her staring at the cake.

"You're not about to say you're not gonna eat it because it's too fattening, are you?" Minato asks as he takes a paper plate out of the drawer. Yukari shakes her head.

"Aha ha. No, no. It's not that. I just… I still can't believe you did this for me." Minato smiles as he sits next to her, filled a plate with a bit of ice cream with a fork in it in his lap.

"Well, believe it. Anyway, I-I haven't really cooked or baked anything in a long time, so… here's hoping I didn't screw up." Yukari laughs, grabs the knife, cuts a slice, and puts it on the plate Minato is holding. The two switch plates and Minato puts the cake on his desk. Yukari takes a piece of her slice, mixes it with the ice cream, and puts it in her mouth. Minato worries when her eyes widen.

"Uh oh! Is it bad?!" Yukari doesn't say anything for a bit before smiling.

"Not even!" she exclaims. "This is  _really_  good!" Minato sighs in relief.

"Really?! Whew, glad to hear it." Yukari blushes before chunking off another piece and holding to Minato's face.

"Uh… h-here. S-Say 'ahhh'." Minato blushes. He doesn't really know why. All she's doing is feeding him, but apparently it's a big deal. He shuts his eyes and gulps before opening his mouth.

"A-Ahhh…" Yukari puts the piece in his mouth and he chomps down on it. His eyes widen as the moist, gooey fudge cake seemingly melts in his mouth.

"Mm! Yeah! I did a pretty good job, huh?" Wanting to feed her too, he reaches for her fork.

"Alright. My turn." Yukari quickly moves the fork away from his hand.

"Uh, no. I'm fine."

"Hey, how is that fair?! You can do it to me, but I can't do it to you?!"

"W-Well, uh…" Yukari tries to come up with a good argument, but gives up and sighs. She hands the fork over to Minato, who chunks off a piece of her slice and holds it in front of her.

"Say 'ahhh'- Whoa!" Minato slips forward, but catches himself with his left hand.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. I just slipped." He pushes himself back up and hold the piece of cake to Yukari's face again. To his surprise, Yukari grabs his fork hand with both hands and stares intently at him.

"Uh… S-Say 'ahhh'." Yukari opens her mouth.

"Ahhh…" Minato put the piece in her mouth and she chomps down on it. He tries to pull the fork out, but her hands are holding his hand in place while she continues to stare intently at him and nibble at the fork. He feel his face start turning red as he gazes into her brown, seemingly puppy dog eyes.

_Oh geez!_ he thinks.  _This is one of those times when she's being really cute!_

Yukari finally lets go and giggles. Minato laughs nervously, then notices the brown streak of cake on her left cheek.

"Oh. Hey, you got some cake on your cheek." Yukari sets her plate down and tries to wipe it off, but he stops her and grabs a napkin.

"Don't worry. I got it." He leans in and puts the napkin near her face. He then smiles deviously and quickly pull her face towards him, placing his lips on her cheek where the chocolate is. Yukari lets out a loud shriek and her face turns bright red.

"Ahh! H-Hey, what the…?!" Minato starts suckling her cheek, trying to get as much of the cake as he can. The smell of perfume riled him up and her cheek felt so soft, he was tempted to bite it, which he did. He could hear Yukari's whining as he sucked and nibbled on the side of her face.

"Hngh… Ugh… H-H-Hey! H-How long are you gonna keep this up?!" Minato, satisfied, finally release her cheek from his lips and laughs. Yukari rubs her cheek and glares at him.

"What was  **that**  about?!" she shouts. Minato smirks.

"Ha ha ha.  _Nothing_. Just wanted to see how your cheek tasted." he teased. "And you tasted really sweet." He didn't care how sleazy it sounded. He was having fun, finally one upping her with a tease like that.

Yukari growls, wanting to slap him hard in the face… but she comes up with another idea. She takes her fork, grinds up what's left of her cake slices, and rubs the fork all over Minato's cheek.

"W-Whoa! What're you…?!"

"Look! Now  _you've_  got some cake on your cheek!" Yukari grabs his head and smiles deviously.

"Here. I'll get it off." She pull his cheek close to smash her lips on it and starts suckling it. Minato was surprised, but he wasn't as embarrassed as her when he did it to her… until he feels something other than her lips moving around his cheek. It's wet, wiggly, and slowly rubbing against his cheek.

"W-Wah! H-Hey, that's your…!" It couldn't be anything but her tongue! She's using her tongue to lick the cake off his face! It tickled his cheek as she sucked on it, pressing them both closer together. Minato's face turn into a tomato, his heart is pounding like crazy, and he feels like there's steam forming in his brain. He's embarrassed because it felt gross and so wrong and embarrassed that it felt amazing and so right at the same time. These conflicting feeling created more steam in his head.

_It's wet. It tickles._   _Ugh, this is sick and bad_ , he thinks.  _But it's just feels so good and… and… and is she seriously moaning?!_

Indeed, Minato is definitely hearing the sound of Yukari's moaning as she nums on his face. The wet sound of her lips smacking against his cheek didn't help at all. His eyes spin around in his head and his conflicting thoughts sneak out of his mouth and form words.

"H-H-Hey, c'mon! E-E-Ease up- A-A-Actually, d-do it harder!  **N-N-No!**  T-That's not it! Stop- Wait,  ** _don't_** stop! No,  ** _do_**! I-It's gross! And awesome too! AW GOD! TOO MUCH!"

Yukari finally releases her grip on him and he falls on his side, trying to catching his breath from that nerve wracking experience. After pulling himself together and rubbing the slobber off his cheek, he glares at Yukari, who's laughing at his expense.

" **WHAT**?! THE  **HELL**?! WAS  **THAT**?!" Yukari smirks.

" _Nothing. Just wanted to see how your cheek tasted._ " she mocks. " _And you tasted really sweet!"_

"That wasn't "tasting" at all! That was… that was… full on devouring! That tongue of yours! It… it felt like it was wiggling all over the side of my face!" Yukari glares at him.

"Well, how do you think  **I**  felt?! It seriously felt like your were gonna rip my cheek off!" The two pout at each other for a moment, then burst out laughing. No matter how weird what just happened was, it was still fun. Yukari remembers the card that came with her ear piercings.

"Oh, that's right! I haven't read the card yet!" Yukari reaches behind her for the card and opens it. Minato leans in as she reads it aloud.

* * *

_To the person who gave me everything when I had nothing,_

_the person that set me from my loneliness,_

_the person I need more than anything,_

_and the person I'd give anything for._

_I'll always treasure the day you came into this world,_

_Because without you, I'd feel like I didn't._

_Happy Birthday, Yuka._

_Love, Minato_

* * *

"I-I'm not that good with poetry," he chuckles. "Still, I wanted to at least  **try**  to be a romantic." Yukari gives Minato a gentle smile and pecks him on his cheek.

"This whole party date thing... It's all really nice, Minato. Thank you." Minato smiles at her.

"Heh. No problem."

"On your birthday, I'll do something nice for you too. I'll at least  **try**  to make this up to you." Minato shakes his head.

"No. That's okay. Giving up my birthday to make sure you had a great one is gift enough." Yukari tilts her head.

"Huh? What're you talking about?" Minato looks down.

"Uh, you see... The thing is… my birthday…" He looks at Yukari with a weak smile.

"It's... actually  **today**." Yukari's eyes widen in absolute shock.

"WHAT?!" she gasps. "T-Then, what the hell are we doing celebrating  **my**  birthday?! We should be celebrating  **yours**!" Minato rubs up and down his left arm.

"Well, this is my way of celebrating it. Seeing you smiling and having fun? That's gift enough for me. I guess that's kinda why I rushed it and forgot to talk to you about this. In the end, I was just thinking about making myself happy. Heh. Kinda selfish of me, huh?" Yukari is at a loss for words, moved because of what he's doing and angry because he thinks it's just him being selfish.

"W-What're you talking…! I-I mean, are you stupid or…! This is the most…!" Yukari groans before pulling Minato into a kiss, then giving him a hug.

"This is one of the most selfless things anyone could ever do! Don't you dare think different!"

"Yuka…" Yukari laughs.

"No matter it is, you always put others before yourself. That's… one of the greatest things I love about you." Yukari looks towards the fudge cake.

"Hey, do you have anymore candles?" Minato pulls out the pack of candles.

"There's only like three left," he says.

"Give them to me. And a match too." Yukari stands up as Minato hands her the candles and matches. She puts the remaining candles into the the cake and lights them with a match. She starts singing the 'Happy Birthday' song as goes back to her spot on the bed.

" _Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Minato, happy birthday to you._ " Minato smiles as she hands him the cake.

"Make a wish. For yourself! Seriously, be selfish just for today! It's  **your** 18th birthday!"

"Uh, seventeenth."

"Huh?" Minato looks at Yukari with one eyebrow raised.

"What do you mean 'huh'? It's my seventeenth birthday. How could I possibly be eighteen by now?" Yukari stares at him, dumbfounded.

"Uh… hey… what year were you born?" she asks.

"Same as you. 1992." Yukari looks down.

"Uh… my birthday came before yours, so… that means…" Yukari turns to Minato with a shocked look on her face.

"Hang on! Y-You're younger than me?!" Minato chuckles.

"Aha ha. Well, yeah. Why?"

"Whaddya mean 'why'?! You never bothered to mention this before?!" Minato cocks an eyebrow at her.

"It didn't really seem important. What? Does it bother you  _that_  much that you're dating a younger guy?" Yukari blushes and smiles, scratching her cheek with her finger.

"Uh, I-I mean… I-It doesn't bother me, per se. Just… shocks me, really. Y-You just seem so much more responsible and, well… mature… compared to a certain younger someone I know."

"A certain younger someone?" Minato's eyes widen with shock.

"Wait, don't tell me…  **Junpei's**  younger than you too?!" Yukari nods.

"Yep. January 16th, 199 **3**." Minato starts snickering.

"Pfft! Y-You're kidding! That's makes him even younger than Fuuka! Which means out of all the grown ups here, he's the baby!" Yukari starts laughing.

"Yeah! I guess it does, huh?! The baby with a goatee!" Minato bursts out laughing.

"Aha ha ha! Oh! Oh! You're the oldest of the juniors! That makes you the old lady!" Yukari stops laughing and pouts.

"Oh, just shut up and make your wish!"

"Aha ha. Yes, grandma." Yukari punches his arm and smiles as he stares at the cake.

_So, he's younger than me_ , she thinks.  _Maybe that's why he looks so cute when he's sleeping. And why he has innocent aura around him... Just like a little kid._

Minato takes a deep breath and blows out the candles.

"So… what did you wish for?" she asks. Minato smiles at her.

"That no matter what… we'd always be together." Yukari smiles.

"Hm. I wished for that too." Yukari places her hand on Minato's shoulder.

"I don't care what you say. I'll make you a birthday something later, got it?"

"Alright. If that's what you want." Yukari holds Minato's hand.

"Ya know, it's always so hard for me to wait to spend time with you. I mean, you're the only one… I can act… this way... around…" She yawns and rubs her eyes. Minato laughs.

"Awww! Is pwetty widdle Yukawi getting sleepy?" he teases. Yukari couldn't help the warm feeling that developed her heart. It felt different from all the other times he teased her. Maybe it was cute how funny it was to know that she's being teased by someone younger than her. She nods and giggles.

" _Mm hm_." Minato notices the cutey tone she says that in.

_Trying to be cute again, huh?_  he thinks as he puts the cake back on his desk.

"Wanna lay down?" Yukari nods again. Minato lays down on the far side of the bed. Yukari lays down and slides in close to snuggle up to him. He wraps his arms around her and holds her close. Now that they're all snuggled up together, he's starting to feel really sleepy too.

"Hey… try not to wake up before me, okay?" Yukari says. "I… I never get enough of your sleeping face."

"Hm… Alright."

"...Happy birthday… Minato." Minato stares at her and smiles.

"Yeah. Happy birthday, Yuka." The two give each other a quick kiss before fading off to dreamland, with their united birthday wish binding them together.

* * *

_**Chapter 6: End**_  


	7. Was It Worth It? Part 1: Despair

It's hard to believe that just when you feel like life is giving you all the happiness you could ever ask for… it can wash it away in a flash.

**xxx**

School has just ended for the day. Minato sits frozen at his desk, looking down at his hands, which are covered by latex gloves, with the blank expression on his face hiding the unbearable turmoil, made from complete and utter pain, sadness, rage, and despair, that roared within the deepest depths of his heart.

Ten days ago, he learned a devastating, world shattering truth. His classmate and best friend, Ryoji Mochizuki, is not only the mysterious little boy, Pharos, who used to visit his room often during nights where he'd sleep through the Dark Hour, but also the Reverse Arcana Shadow known as Death, made from the union of the 12 Reverse Arcana before him. A Shadow that was never meant to be.

Ten years ago, Ryoji and Aigis fought each other not too long after the Kirijo Lab incident on the Moonlight Bridge. Since Aigis couldn't defeat him, even in his incomplete state caused by the separation of his 12 Reverse Arcana pieces, her only option was to seal him away in the nearest living thing she could find… and little boy Minato, who already possessed Persona potential and, because of this, was able to survive the car crash that killed his parents as a result of them being caught in the battle's crossfire, just so happened to be there.

To make things worse, by coming back to Iwatodai, Minato caused the sleeping 12 Reverse Arcana Shadows that scattered and hid themselves throughout the city after the incident to reawaken. And by slaying them all, he unwillingly reunited them with Ryoji, who was sealed within him, and in doing so, he revived the mother of all Shadows and embodiment of Death known as Nyx.

Ryoji is the Appriser of Death, whose existence lures Nyx into awakening and confirms the coming of the Fall, or the end of the world, that Ikutsuki was trying to bring about. Before next spring comes, Nyx will descend to Earth to cover the entire world in darkness and erase all life… and since she is as immortal and almighty as the concept of Death itself, there's no way to stop her.

Now, Ryoji has given the S.E.E.S. club a difficult choice: Either have Minato, the one who allowed him to be restored and become part human, kill him, therefore erasing their memories of the Shadows, Tartarus, and the Dark Hour, as well as permanently disabling their ability to interact with the anomalies, so that they can spend the time they have left in peace, or let him live and confront the maternal being in a battle they can't possibly win. And he assures them that no matter what choice is made, they both lead to one undeniable fate: the death of everyone.

Minato flashes back to three nights ago, where everyone discussed what they were going to do next.

**xxx**

Everyone sat down around the coffee table in the lounge, except Aigis, who was sent to the lab after she was badly damaged in her recent fight against Ryoji. Yukari was the first to speak up.

"Well, it's been a week," she said. "What're we going to do?" She noticed Fuuka staring at her in surprise.

"You okay, Fuuka?"

"You just seem so calm…" Fuuka answered.

"We have to make a decision… I mean, it's been such a drag around here lately, and no one will go to Tartarus..." Mitsuru nodded.

"You're right," she said. "We humans are quite resilient. We can adapt to any situation, given enough time. So, how about it, everyone? Why don't we talk about it?" Minato hung his head, with his face clearly showing how much emotional pain he's in.

"C-Can… can we not?" he stuttered. "...Please?" Almost everyone turned to him with concern. Yukari most of all.

"Minato…" Ken turned to Akihiko.

"... Have you made your decision, Sanada-san?" he asked him. Akihiko turned to him.

"No… But I don't plan on running away."

"So, you're going to fight Nyx?" Mitsuru asked him. Akihiko smiled at her.

"... I don't know. I mean, it's supposedly undefeatable... What about  **you**? What're  **your** thoughts on it?" Mitsuru hung her head and bit her lip.

"Honestly, this is the first time I've ever contemplated my own death… It's quite a sobering thought... I don't want to suffer… and I don't want to kill Ryoji... But, either way, we still die. So, there is no simple answer." The unavoidable truth hits Minato with a tsunami of fear.

"Then, do we all agree that we don't want to hurt Ryoji-kun?" Fuuka asked everyone. Akihiko turned to her.

"Is that how you feel?" Fuuka hung her head.

"Well, I, um…"

"It's okay, Fuuka," Yukari said. "I mean, it's not natural to choose how you're going to die…" She turned to Junpei, who'd been silent the whole time.

"What about you, Junpei? Have you decided?" Junpei sighed and shook his head.

"No…" Yukari smiled and chuckled.

" _What's the matter? Scared~?_ " she teased. Junpei jumped from his seat and glared at her in a sudden burst of outrage. 

"What the hell do you mean by that?! You think this is a joke?!" Yukari frowned, realizing this is the worst time for teasing.

"Junpei, I-"

"We're all going to die! Of course I'm scared! You all need to wake up! This is death we're talking about here!" Mitsuru turned to him.

"Then, what do  **you**  want to do? Do you want to kill him?" Junpei grits his teeth.

"There's nothing I  **can**  do! The only one who can kill him is…" He gulps before going on further.

"Minato…" Minato tensed up at those words. He's the only one who can kill his best friend, but what's the point of the outcome is the same either way?

Junpei turned to glare at him.

"Come to think of it… It's all your fault…" Minato's eyes widened as Junpei slowly marched over to him.

"Did you never notice…? You had him… you had that  **thing**  inside you… and you didn't even notice...?!" Minato tried to speak up, his throat clenched tight.

"Ah… I… I-I…"

"You're the one who raised it, dammit…! You're the one who brought about the Fall…!" Junpei suddenly grabbed him, shaking him and lifting him up by the collar of his shirt. Yukari stood from her seat.

" **Junpei…!** "

"You stupid bastard! This is **all your fault!** " Minato's face overflowed to great despair, his eyes clearly showing the trauma he felt.

"You're supposed to be  **special** , right?!" Junpei shouts. "Can't you… C-Can't you do  **anything**  about it?! For God's sake, I  **know**  there's  **something**!"

Minato's body was completely frozen by the clear as day fact that he brought this on everyone. The entire world, his friends… even Yukari. All he's done to keep people from dying. All he's done to protect everyone he cares about. Everything just lead to him getting everyone killed. There was never a way for him to protect anyone. Everyone around him just dies in the end.

**_Don't you think I know that already, goddammit?!_ **

Yukari rushed over, punched Junpei square in the jaw, and pushed him to the ground, defending her boyfriend.

" **Stop it, Junpei!** " she screamed at Junpei. "It's not his fault! How could you blame him for doing something that he didn't even know about?! And the only reason we've even been given a choice is because he carried it!"

Even though it was meant to cheer him up, it struck Minato's heart hard as her just confirming that Junpei was almost completely right. Yes, he didn't notice anything. How could anyone notice something like that? But, still...

Junpei rubs his face where Yukari punched him.

"I know that, dammit!" he yelled. "I… In my head, I might know… But…" Junpei got back on his feet, hung his head, and started biting his lip.

"I've never really talked about this before, but… my old man was an alcoholic. He started drinking after he was tricked into investing his life savings in some telemarketing scam. He drank until he passed out, so he wouldn't have to face reality… And I hated him for it…" Junpei's started trembling as he shuts his eyes.

"But now… I understand how he felt… Everything seems hopeless… I-I'm so scared… A-And… and even though I know thinking about it might not solve anything, I…" Tears snuck out of his eyes.

"I… I-I'm still scared, dammit!" Fuuka stared at him as he rubs his eyes.

"I know how you feel, Junpei-kun," she confessed. "I'm scared too." Akihiko looks down.

"Yeah… we're all scared," he points out. Mitsuru looks down.

"Yes… I… I-I can't stop shaking."

"Me either…" Yukari says as frowned and hung her head in guilt. "I-I'm sorry I teased you, Junpei. I-I was just trying to lighten up the situation. Personally, I don't want to forget everything." Yukari looks to Minato and holds his hand tight.

"I've learned… and gained  **so**  much since coming here… And I don't want to… I  **can't**  let it go." The warm feel of her hand, along with the fact that Yukari was talking about never letting  **him**  go, wouldn't help Minato this time. His despair was way beyond the point when it would.

Junpei looks to Yukari.

"Yuka-tan… I…" He sighs.

"I-I'm sorry I kept yelling like that…" Yukari shook her head.

"It's okay. I don't think any of us could've stood up to you right now, Junpei… So, don't worry about it." Yukari looks to Minato and smiles.

"Right, Minato?" Minato's face doesn't change and he gives no response. Junpei sighs again, feeling the guilt of blaming everything on his best friend when he's already going through so much as a tool used to bring about the end, and puts his hand on Minato's shoulder.

"... S-Sorry, man," he mumbled. "I didn't mean to lash out at you like that… I know this isn't your fault. I… I'm just…"

Minato felt his chest being squeezed inside, to the point it felt like it was being crushed. He just heard everyone they don't want to suffer, but don't want to hurt Ryoji or forget everything. They admitted how scared they are that they will all die in the end and there's no way out. Even his senpai and Yukari confessed. What's worse, it was him being sent back here and meeting everyone that caused all this. He brought the end of the world right to their door and there's no way he can fix it.

Yukari tugs at his arm as his body starts to tremble.

"Minato?"

"… W-W-Why?" he mumbled. "W-Why are you saying all this?" Everyone turned to him.

"Arisato…" Mitsuru called him. Minato snatched his hand away from Yukari and pushed Junpei's hand off his shoulder. He then slowly covered his left eye with his hand.

"I-Isn't… I-I-Isn't me knowing I-I caused this enough? I-It was too much before… but…  **now** …?"

"Minato-kun," Fuuka called. He hunches over and shuts his eyes.

"It's my fault... It's **all** my fault...! I already knew that, dammit...! And there's nothing I can do about it...! I… I-I should've just burned… W-Why… Why didn't I just burn that day…?! I-If I had, then..." Minato clenched his hair and gritted his teeth as his heart started pounding out of his chest.

"I-It's… it's not fair…!"

His eyes widen as horrible images rush through his mind.

First, his parents' bleeding and burning bodies in the car crash.

Next, Shinjiro's soulless bloody body after he was shot by Takaya.

Then, Junpei's body after he tried to protect Chidori.

Finally, the image of all of his friends being burned alive in a sea of fire, as if it was a premonition of what is to come. He could hear their screaming as they writhed in pain, crying out for help. He finally started to go back to the way he used to be before his parents died. Now, everything's being ripped away from him in the worst way possible. It all proves to be far too much for his mind to handle.

He dropped to his knees, smashed his head into the ground, and let out a dreadful wail at the top of his lungs.

" **GRAAAHHH!!! IT'S NOT FAIR!!!** "

Everyone rushed to him. Yukari and Junpei grabbed his shoulders and started shaking him.

"Minato?! Minato! Minato, calm down!" Yukari shouted at him.

"C'mon, man! Snap out of it!" Junpei shouted. Minato didn't hear her over his own dreadful wails.

"Minato, pull yourself together!" Akihiko yelled. Still nothing. Everyone tried their hardest to get through to him, but he was too deep in his own despair to hear their calls.

When he suddenly stopped screaming, he clenched his chest and fell on his side. His chest felt like it was set to burst and he felt something choke up his throat, barely letting him breath.

"W-What's wrong with him now?!" Yukari screams.

"Severe panic attack!" Mitsuru shouts. "Someone call an ambulance!" As Fuuka pulled out her phone, Minato's eyesight started to fade. He felt a hand, mostly like Yukari's, touch his face. Through his shortness of breath, he managed to call Yukari's name before completely blacking out.

" _Y-Y-Yu… Y-Yu… ka…_ "

**xxx**

Minato snaps back to reality and looks down, still unable to stop shaking. He hasn't been able to shake that powerless feeling at all. Getting stronger won't change anything because Nyx can't be defeated. Doing nothing won't help because Ryoji is coming to hear the team's choice on New Year's Eve. Even killing himself now won't work because the deed's already been done and he can't leave Yukari. He's never felt so powerless.

Yukari, worried about her boyfriend's state of mind, walks over to him, Junpei following behind her, with concern. She slowly tries to put her hand on his shoulder.

"M-Minato…" Minato suddenly pulls off his right glove, rips the bandages off his hand, and bites it in fury like a mad dog. Yukari and Junpei see blood drooping from it.

"W-Whoa, dude!" Junpei shouts. Yukari grabs Minato's arm, trying to pull his hand out of his mouth.

"H-Hey! S-Stop it! What're you doing?!" she shouts. She manages to pull it out, but is shocked to see his hand covered in bloody bite marks. Junpei is just as shocked when he sees it.

"W-What the hell?!" Minato snatches his hand away and rushes out of the classroom. Yukari and Junpei stand there, still shocked by what they just saw, not noticing Mitsuru enter the room. Mitsuru walks over to them.

"I assume the was Arisato just now?" she says to them.

"Oh, Senpai," Yukari says. "Y-Yeah… that was him." Ms. Toriumi walks up to pick up the bloody bandages and glove on the floor.

"What on earth could be causing this?!" she says. Yukari and Junpei turn to their homeroom teacher.

"Ms. Toriumi," Yukari says. "Do you know something about that?" Toriumi looks to her two students and holds out what she picked up on the floor.

"Know about it? I actually went with him to get the bandages and gloves for him yesterday," she says. "I've been seeing him biting his hands until it bleeds like that recently. I've asked him what's wrong, but he simply refuses to give me an answer."

"Do you know how long he's been biting himself like that for?" Mitsuru asks her.

"Well, I'm not sure exactly when, but… let's see… The first time I saw him bite himself was… two days ago, I think."

_Right after the night of his meltdown,_  Yukari thinks. Toriumi looks to her.

"Yukari, I've been seeing you two leaving school together a lot these past couple months, so I'd imagine you're pretty close. Do you know why he's been doing this?" Yukari hangs her head.

"It's… it's really personal," she mumbles. Ms. Toriumi smiles.

"Well, if anyone can turn him back to his usual self, I'm sure that  **you**  can." The teacher walks away, leaving Yukari and Junpei to concern about Minato.

"Damn… Never thought I'd see the day when he'd finally lose his shit," Junpei says. "Especially not  **this**  bad." Yukari nods in agreement. Junpei scratches his head and sighs.

"Guess it's my fault, as usual, huh? I'm the one who grabbed him and screamed all the crap right in his face." Yukari and Mitsuru hang their heads.

"No. It wasn't all you fault," Yukari says. "I'm pretty we're all to blame here."

"I agree," Mitsuru says. "He must have already been in agony pondering the fact that he unintentionally brought this about just by living, and didn't even know it. Hearing us admit how scared we are obviously proved to be more than he could bare." She lets out a deep sigh.

"Out of all the lives Kirijo destroyed… I would say Arisato's is the worst out of all of them."

Yukari's hands ball up into fist, remembering Ryoji's words. He said his parts were scattered and he awoke in an incomplete state because of certain interference during his birth, the unification of countless Shadows. That must have been when her father interrupted the experiment and set loose the twelve Reverse Arcana Shadows. That led to Aigis fighting Ryoji, which led to the car crash that killed Minato's parents, which led to her sealing him inside Minato, which led to the events that transpired from this past May up to now. That means that what her father did… it ended up causing Minato's suffering.

Yukari doesn't blame her father for what he ended up doing to Minato… but it still doesn't change the fact that it happened.

"Minato…"

**xxx**

Minato dashes through the city streets with the blood from his hand running down his mouth and his eyes red with absolute rage and blinding fury, tackling people out of his way on the sidewalk, not paying attention to the cars approaching him as he sprints along the cross walk, and not caring how tired he was. He didn't know where he was running to and had no idea what was happening around him, and he didn't care. He just kept running in any direction he felt like.

As he charged across another crosswalk, an approaching car turns to it side to stop, but it ends up impacting him, sending him crashing into the ground. He lies there, conscious, but motionless, still containing his emotional turmoil. People gather around him to see what's going on and the male driver rushes out to check on him.

"Oh dear god!" the driver yells. "I'm so sorry! You came out of nowhere!" The driver bends down over him.

"Hey kid, are you alright?!" Minato scrambles to sit up and the driver backs away from him in fear, seeing the blood on his mouth and the crazed rage look on his face. Minato jumps to his feet and turns all around, looking at nothing in particular.

The images of death from the other night suddenly rush through his mind, creating more turmoil in his heart. He lets out a brief scream before ripping off the glove and bandages on his left hand and biting it hard, trying to use pain to snap himself out of it. Unlike all the other times he's done this and succeeded, the images didn't go away, no matter how much his hand bled.

He let out another scream before charging off again, leaving the witnesses shocked and horrified.

**xxx**

It's evening now. Yukari came straight back to the dorm after school and just sat on a couch in the lounge and stared at the front door, waiting for Minato to return and hoping that she'll be able to comfort him. After hearing Ryoji's story, she knew he would be hurting deep down, but she never thought that a person so calm and collected as him could be broken up to such an extent.

_I've been watching out for him all year,_  she thought. _It might not be much, but I know him better than anyone._ _He's **not** some monster._   _He's not some bringer of the apocalypse._   _He's loyal and really sweet. He'd never to do anything to hurt anyone... He's just a kid._

She flashes back to the night of his mental breakdown.

**xxx**

She and the rest of the team were waiting just outside the hospital room where he was being examined. She jumped from her seat when a nurse opened the door and exited the room. The nurse stepped out of the way and a doctor pushed Minato into walking out of the room. Yukari rushed to her boyfriend.

"Minato!" She stopped when she saw his face, blank as paper, his eyes cast down and empty. She placed her hands on his shoulders and shakes him.

"Minato? Hey, say something," she said to him. Minato gave no answer. He just stood there, looking down at the ground.

"As far we can tell, he's stable physically," the doctor said. Yukari turned to him.

"But as far as his mentality goes," he continued. "I can't describe just how much turmoil he's in. He went through a pretty severe panic attack. He doesn't respond to verbal calls or stimuli." Mitsuru stepped forward.

"Is there any way he'll be able to recover?" she asked the doctor. The doctor looks at her with uncertainty.

"I won't mince words here… There's a strong chance the damage may be permanent. With time, maybe he'll be able to return to his original mental state, but I won't make any promises. Even if he does return, there's no possible way he'll be the same." Ken stepped forward.

"Is there any way we can help him?" he asked.

"All we can do is wait and pray. Nothing more. I'm sorry." Mitsuru nodded at him.

"Thank you, doctor. We'll take him home." The doctor and the nurse walk off, leaving the team to look after a shattered Minato. Yukari looked intently at her broken up boyfriend.

"What did he mean… he won't be the same?" she asked, not directing it at anyone in particular.

"I can't say for certain," Mitsuru replied. "But from what I've heard, when a person experiences a panic attack, there is a chance that the victim may induce a phobia towards whatever caused it."

"If that's true, then what would Minato-kun develop a phobia towards?" Fuuka asked.

"We were all talking about the fact that we're all scared to die," Akihiko mentioned. "When you consider everything he's gone through in his life, it's obvious it was to much for him to handle."

"And "it" being…" Junpei led.

"The mere thought of your inevitable death," Akihiko said. Fuuka put the pieces together and came to a realization.

"Senpai, we use Evokers to replicate the actions of death to summon our Personas!" she exclaimed. "If Minato-kun develops a phobia towards the thought of death, then…" Mitsuru frowns and slowly nods.

"Yes. If that were to happen… Arisato will never be able to summon a Persona again."

Yukari's face filled with fear at the mere thought of him not being able to return to the way he was before and not being able to fight alongside her if she decides to fight back. Her eyes began to flood with tears and she slowly pulled Minato in for a tight hug.

"Minato," she mumbled. Everyone looked to the couple with concern as Yukari forced a smile as she rubbed Minato's back.

"Y-You're… you're gonna be fine," she stuttered. "I-I'll help you get through this… help you ease all that pain you're in. A-And in a few days, y-you're gonna be walking around school with your headphones on, blasting music in your ears like always." Yukari hugged him even tighter as Mitsuru called a car to take everyone back to the dorm.

"I-I promise… I-I'll always be right here with you. I'll be here when you need me… I promise."

**xxx**

Yukari snaps back to reality and she checks her phone. No new calls or texts. She continues staring at the door, waiting for Minato to walk through.

"It's getting pretty late." Yukari turns to see Junpei standing next to her with concern on his face.

"Don'tcha think it's time for you to hit the sack?" he asks her. Yukari turns back to the door.

"I'll sleep when I know he's home," she says. Junpei points to himself.

"Alright. Don't sleep… But how about letting me take over from here?" Yukari turns to Junpei in surprise as he fixes his hat.

"I mean, we both know I'm not gonna get any studying done anytime soon. Plus, I kinda owe it to him for shouting all that in his face when he was already goin' through a really hard time."

"Junpei…" Yukari hears Koromaru whimpering beside her. She turns to see the albino shiba nuzzling her leg. Koromaru then barks at her while wagging his tail.

"He he he. I'm not Aigis," Junpei chuckles. "But I'm pretty sure Koro-chan's sayin' "Don't worry! I'll stay up with Junpei until he comes back too!"" Yukari laughs and pets Koromaru on his head.

"Thanks, Koro-chan." She stands up and turns to Junpei.

"You too, Junpei. Even though I can't count on you for most things, I know I can count on you for stuff like this." Junpei smirks.

"Heh. I'll let that slide this time. Just hit the hay. I'll call you when he shows." Yukari nods and head off to her room.

**xxx**

A while later, Yukari wakes up to distant footsteps outside her room. She quickly sits up.

_I seriously fell asleep?!_ she thinks. _Wait! ... How long have I been asleep?!_

She rushes for her phone and is shocked when she sees the time. She quickly gets dressed and rushes out of the room. She turns to see Junpei coming down the stairs with Koromaru. He notices her marching over to him.

"Yuka-tan!" he exclaims. "Good! You're awake-!"

"What the hell, Junpei?!" she yells in anger. "You said you'd call me when he got back!"

"Uh, about that… he didn't!"

"What do you mean "he didn't"?"

"I mean he never came back  **at all!** " Absolute fear hits Yukari as hard as a train.

"W-What?!"

"Me and Koromaru were watching that front door for hours! I barely even went to the bathroom! He  **never**  showed up!"

"Y-You're kidding! B-But it's almost-"

"I-I know! I just went to wake up Akihiko and Mitsuru-senpai!" Just then, Mitsuru and Akihiko come rushing down the stairs.

"Oh good! You're up!" Akihiko exclaims. "Minato's-"

"Yeah, I know. He just told me!" Fuuka and Ken come rushing from their rooms.

"Everyone? What's going on?" Fuuka asks. Yukari turns to her.

"Fuuka, Minato's gone missing! He never got back to the dorm!" Fuuka and Ken are in shock. Ken quickly checks his wristwatch, which shocks him even more.

"It's almost time for the Dark Hour!" he exclaims. "Why isn't he back yet?!"

"This is bad," Mitsuru says with a serious look on her face. "He's in no condition to fight. And if his panic attack really did induce a phobia, he'll be unable to use his Evoker."

"But if he can't use his Evoker, then he can't use Persona!" Fuuka exclaims. "Which means if he gets attacked by Shadows, he'll-"

Suddenly, a familiar feeling washes over everyone: the feeling of time being disoriented. All electronics shut off and the dorm hall are tinted with a familiar green. Koromaru whimpers and Yukari is overcome with despair, knowing what this is:

Dark Hour.

" **MINATO!** " Mitsuru turns to Fuuka in a panic.

"Yamagishi, where is he?!" Fuuka summons Juno and concentrates. She locates Minato very quickly.

"The Moonlight Bridge!" she shouts. "I don't sense any Shadow presences near him, but-" Yukari bolts down the stairs as soon as she hears that.

"Yukari, wait!" Mitsuru yells. Yukari ignores her, focusing only on getting to the Moonlight Bridge as fast as she can.

_Hang on, Minato!_  she thinks.  _Just hang on til I get there!_

**xxx**

At the ominously lit Moonlight Bridge, Minato, whose fury has silenced and now wanders with no mind, slowly walks in the middle of the street lined with the coffins of the transmogrified, with absolute silence dominating the area. He stops and fixes the gaze of his lightless eyes to the cloudy sky above him.

He slowly starts to remember the car crash. The sound of fire crackling, the smell of burning gas, and the sight of the lifeless body of his mother covered in blood and lying in the wreckage beside him. That was the day the all of his emotions locked themselves deep inside his heart. Not only that, memory loss is a very common symptom for one who's experienced the Dark Hour, yet it was believed that Minato never had any symptoms.  **A lie.**  He thought the reason why he couldn't recall any memories of his parents before the accident was because of a concussion.  **Another lie.**  Two lies hid a brutal truth. The reason why he already felt so accustomed to it by the time he came back in April was because the Dark Hour had already robbed him of his most of memories: The memories of his childhood.

A blurry image suddenly rushes through Minato's mind. It looks like something coming towards him. As the object draws closer to him, he's able to figure out who it is: Aigis when he sealed Ryoji inside of his child body. The fight between two of his best friends: One who is meant to be the demon who will bring the end of all to this world and the other who was meant to stop him. That battle is what caused his decade long period of misery and emotional isolation and robbed him of his memories. It all happened on this bridge.

The clouds briefly part to reveal the corrupted yellow crescent moon of the Dark Hour, letting it shine down on Minato. It doesn't fill him with hope that things will be okay, but haunts him as a reminder of the curse that has taken a hold on his life... Or rather, has become his life. He lets out a raspy sigh, his eyes fixed on the moon, feeling the absolute dread build up inside him… and not hearing the sound of demons lurking towards him as their prey.

* * *

_**Chapter 7: End** _


	8. Was It Worth It? Part 2: Agony

Yukari dashes through the darkened streets as fast as she can, trying to get to the Moonlight Bridge before Minato is attacked by Shadows with no way to fight back. She stops in front of the Naganaki Shrine to catch her breath and the others trail behind her.

"Yuka-tan, hold up!" Everyone catches up to her and catches their breath with her. Yukari feels a bit of guilt for rushing off without them.

"S-Sorry, everyone… I-I just…" Junpei smiles, still trying to catch his breath.

"Whew… H-Hey, don't… sweat it… We want to… help him too… Ugh!" Yukari smiles, happy that her friends want to help Minato half way close to as much as she does.

"Yamagishi," Mitsuru says. "Is he still safe?" Fuuka summons Juno, concentrating on surveying Minato's location.

"Hm… I don't see-" Her sentence is cut off with a gasp.

"Wait! There's a Shadow reading approaching him… Wait, no…"

"What's wrong?!" Akihiko asks.

"There's two? No… eight? No… S-Sixteen?!"

"Hey, slow down!" Junpei shouts. "What's with all the numbers?!" Fuuka gasps again and Juno disappears.

"T-There's… there's a large group of Shadows gathering. More than thirty… And… they're trying to get to Minato-kun!" Everyone is shocked.

"That makes no sense!" Ken shouts. "Why would so many Shadows go after one person?!"

"Who cares right now?!" Yukari screams. "He'll die if they get to him before we do!"

"Agreed!" Mitsuru says. "We have to hurry!" Everyone dashes down the street, continuing their race to the Moonlight Bridge.

**xxx**

Minato is still standing in the middle of the street, staring at the moon. When the clouds conceal it again, Shadows of all kinds lurk in on him from all directions. They come from the streets, the cable wires above, the sky, and even crawl up the sides of the bridge. Feeling their presence close in on him, Minato still stands looking at the sky. The Shadows lurk closer to him before a barrage of ice shards are fired at him from the crowd. Most of them miss, with only a few of them grazing his arms, legs, and cheeks.

As he feels the stings of the cuts on his body, the fury that possessed him before reemerges, engulfing his heart and pulsing through his veins. His body begins to quake as his rage starts to build up. He slowly reaches inside his uniform jacket, pulls out his Evoker, and holds it in front of his face, clenching it. He grips his right wrist with his other hand, causing the blood from them to flood out of the bite wounds and drop to the ground. An ominous black and blue flame aura cloaks him as he grits his teeth and breathes heavily. He growls as the anger within is almost built up to the bursting point.

The Shadows have him surrounded in a circle, ready to pounce at any moment. Minato hears his heart rate rapidly increase. When the sound finally stops, he glares at the horde of Shadow, his eyes once again glowing red with blinding fury, and he lets out a dreadful roar as he puts the Evoker to his head and pulls the trigger.

**xxx**

Yukari and the others arrive at the west side of the bridge and are shocked to see the large crowd of Shadows. Fuuka summons Juno and surveys the area. She gasps when she detects Minato's presence in the crowd. Yukari turns to her.

"Fuuka?!" Fuuka turns to Yukari.

"Y-Yukari-chan! Minato-kun is in there!" Yukari turns back to the crowd of Shadows in horror.

"Minato!" Everyone suddenly hears his explosive dreadful wail echo through the air, followed by the crackling sound of an Evoker going off.

"Hey… wasn't that an Evoker going off?" Junpei asks. Fuuka smiles in slight relief.

"Thank goodness! He can still fight!"

"That doesn't mean he's out of it yet!" Akihiko says. Yukari rushes towards to the crowd, Evoker at the ready, with her comrades following behind her.

**xxx**

Minato, fueled by fury, uses his bloody hand to command his current Persona, Surt, to charge at the Shadow horde. Surt roars as it swings its mighty blade and casts Maragidyne to mow down the group in front. Minato senses Shadows coming down on him from the air. He jumps to his left, out of the way of their fire, and changes Surt to Thor. Thor uses Maziodyne to shoot down the enemies.

A Gigas Shadow charges towards Minato. Minato pulls out his sword, impales it through the chest, then performs an uppercut to slash it in two and finish it off. He finds himself surrounded by a group of Maya, Hand, Eagle, and Cupid Shadows. He swiftly dodges and counters their barrage of attacks, killing each one with one swipe of his sword. After defeating all the smaller Shadows, a group of Minotaur, Gear, and Beetle Shadows charge towards him. Thor appears beside him as he charges towards them, roaring with rage.

**xxx**

Yukari and the others have started craving their way through the crowd to get to Minato. Junpei uses Trismegistus to make a path for Yukari.

"Yuka-tan, go!" Yukari doesn't hesitate to run straight through the horde. She makes it to the center, using Isis to blow back the Shadows behind her, and sees Minato holding his own against the larger Shadows. Minato takes a hit from a Minotaur's ram attack, knocking him and the ground and towards the crowd at the edge of the bridge. The Shadows pile on top of him.

"Minato!" Yukari feels the ground start to shake. Minato's wail echoes once again as intense fire streams of Ardhanari erupt from the Shadow dog pile and start flailing around in the air. Yukari ducks to avoid the flames as they incinerate every Shadow they touch. One of the streams opens a path for the others to get through. The S.E.E.S. members rush to Yukari while avoiding the flames.

"Yukari-chan!" Fuuka shouts. "Are you alright?!" Yukari is too distracted by Minato's furious display of power. The flames finally die down, revealing Minato at their center. The ominous aura from before circles around him and he lets out another roar. Fuuka recognizes the sudden shrieking sound of saw blades.

"He's using Scarlet Havoc! Everyone, get down!" Large energy blade appear out of nowhere and fly through the air. Akihiko tackles Yukari to the ground to save her from a blade. Everyone else dives to the ground to dodge, with Junpei avoiding the blades by a hair.

"H-Holy crap, that was close! He almost sliced my head off!" The energy blades slash apart a lot of Shadows in the crowd.

"Yukari, are you alright?!" Akihiko asks. Yukari pushes herself back up and is shocked when she sees the look on Minato's face. It's so full of anger and rage and he's acting like a wild beast, attacking anything he sees.

"What's wrong with him?!" she asks. "He's going completely out of control!" Minato lets out yet another scream and glowing clouds appear in the sky.

"Last Judge!" Fuuka shouts. An enormous hammer slams into the ground from the clouds, creating a blast that eliminates the rest of the Shadows. The S.E.E.S. stay on the ground to take cover from the blast. When the light from the blast dies out, they see Minato standing alone in the middle of the street.

Minato looks up at the sky, still trembling with anger. With another loud roar, he summons Thanatos and they both go on a destructive rampage, swinging their swords and blasting at anything they see.

The S.E.E.S. members look on in shock as they see their comrade, the person they thought was the strongest among them, the person they thought no one could break, lash out unlike anything they've ever seen. Yukari's body refuses to stop trembling.

"M-Minato?" Everyone suddenly feels the bridge start to shake with everyone strike Minato and Thanatos inflict on it.

"Ngh! This isn't good!" Fuuka shouts. "If this keep up, he'll bring down the entire bridge and take everyone with it!" Unable to watch anymore, she rushes over to him.

"No, Yukari-chan!" Fuuka yells. "It's too dangerous!" Yukari ignores her and stops several feet away from her boyfriend.

"Minato! Minato, you have to stop!" Minato stops for a moment, then slowly turns to Yukari. Yukari feels his feral red glare pierce through her, but quickly calms herself.

"Minato… it's okay. It's me. Y-You see me, don't you?" Fear fills her heart when Minato starts growling at her, his rage not allowing him to see her at all. To him, she's just something he can tear apart. He squats down as Thanatos lands behind him and launches him high into the air using Garudyne to amplify his jump. Yukari's eyes widen as Thanatos cast Garudyne again to send Minato bombing down towards her as readies his sword to strike.

Mitsuru arrives just in time to push her out of the way and block his attack, sending her crashing down on one knee by the weight of the impact. Minato growls as he puts all of his weight into his power struggle with Mitsuru, whose guard was almost completely broken by his last attack.

"Ugh… Arisato… pull yourself together!" Mitsuru shouts at him. Minato jumps back, noticing Junpei, Akihiko, Ken, and Koromaru rush to surround him. He stares down at the ground, breathing like a wild beast as the ominous aura cloaks him again.

"Minato, snap out of it!" Akihiko demands.

"Minato-san, you have to calm down!" Ken shouts.

"C'mon, man! This ain't like you at all!" Junpei shouts. Minato shoots his hand into the air, calling Thanatos down upon the group of five. They summon their Personas to confront Thanatos, but Minato gets the drop on Junpei during the conflict. Junpei tries to block his attacks, but his speed soon allows him to slash his shoulder. Trismegistus falls to Thanatos.

Akihiko, Ken, and Koromaru try to rush up behind Minato to attack, with Akihiko taking the lead. Minato senses them, dives rolls to dodge Akihiko's attack and gain some distance, then turns to deflect his jab assault. In the air, Caesar has Thanatos on the defensive, dodging his lightning and sword attacks, not noticing Kala-Nemi closing in on him.

Akihiko jumps backwards out of the way of Minato's spin attack. Minato notices Ken rushing towards him and quickly dodges the thrust attacks of the blunt end of his staff. Minato jumps back and Ken quickly pole vaults into the air for an air attack while Akihiko sneaks up behind for a punch. Minato ducks, forcing Akihiko to block Ken's attack, and he grabs Ken by the neck. He then spins around and throws him at Akihiko with his enhanced anger-fueled strength. Failing to catch Ken due to the surprise, Akihiko is knocked backwards from the impact. Minato charges at towards him, stomping his right foot into Ken's stomach while preparing for a high jump. Kala-Nemi is pierced through by Thanatos, who was aiming for Caesar.

Minato launches off of Ken and into the air for a jump attack on Akihiko. Akihiko jumps back to dodge, but Minato punches him in his gut, then stomp kicks him into a nearby car. Minato turns around to deflect Mitsuru's surprise attack. He faces her in a head on dance of swords while Thanatos, whose was overwhelming Caesar, turns to take on Artemisia. The pain from her knee stops her. Minato slashes Mitsuru across her cheek, stunning her, then grabs her by the neck, spins around, and throws her hard into a wall. He charges towards her, jumps, and stomps his right foot into her chest upon landing. Mitsuru screams in pain as he puts all of his weight into it. Thanatos has impaled Artemisia into the ground.

Minato turns and dashes towards Akihiko, who recovers and charges towards him. The two strike at each other, matching each other blow for blow as steel blade and steel brass knuckles clash, sending sparks flying through the air. Akihiko blocks Minato's jump attack and they enter a power struggle. Minato ducks under his arms to headbutt him in the chin, punches him in the gut, then backs up to roundhouse kick him away, with his heel impacting his jaw. Minato then roundhouse kicks away Koromaru, who tried to pounce on him. Thanatos decapitates Caesar, then turns to cleave Cerberus in two.

"Everyone!" Fuuka gasps. Minato lets out another roar, having defeated the group of five with ease. He then turns to Yukari, the only one who can fight left standing, and growls at her. Yukari clenches the grip of her bow and the grip of her Evoker in fear as Minato stalks toward her. She takes a deep breath, gulps, slowly holds out her bow and Evoker, and lets them drop to the ground. Minato stops at the sound of her weapons falling to the ground.

"Yukari-chan…" Fuuka mumbles. Yukari stares intently at Minato, refusing to fight him.

"I… I've been with you for too long… I know you're just in a lot of pain. I get it." Yukari looks down.

"The things you're dealing with right now… I can't say I know how it feels, like you and me usually say to each other. But… you've been there for me when I was hurting. This time… I wanna be here for you." Yukari smiles at Minato.

"S-So… I'm not scared of you, the way you are right now… Cuz… I've been with you long enough to know… you'd never hurt anyone." Yukari slowly reaches her hand out to him.

"You'd... you'd never hurt me."

Minato just stands there, still breathing like a wild beast. He lets out another roar and charges towards Yukari, who shuts her eyes. Minato stops right before his blade pierces through her heart, as if to stop himself from hurting Yukari. She opens her eyes to stare at his pained face, then places both hands on his cheeks.

"You... you don't have to suffer alone... everyone is right here for you... I'm right here with you... You're not alone. " Minato's breathing starts returning to normal and the omnious aura starts to die down, as a sign of his rage fading away.

As everyone who was fighting slowly gets to their feet, Fuuka senses something from afar heading their way behind her.

"Huh?" She focuses on trying to identify it. It's an immensely powerful Shadow.

_This presence_ , she thinks.  _It can't be an Arcana Shadow reading. We've already defeated them all and it's not even a full moon tonight. It's can't be Ryoji-kun. He said he would be back on New Year's Eve. So what...?_

She gasps and runs to everyone when she realizes what it is.

"M-Mitsuru-senpai! Everyone!" Mitsuru turns to her.

"Y-Yamagishi?" she stutters.

"Hurry! We have to run! It's coming!" Everyone else besides Minato turns to Fuuka.

"C-Coming? Fuuka, what's-" Junpei's sentence is cut off when everyone hears the loud sound of jangling chains echo faintly through the air. When it gets loud enough, everyone cannot hide the fear on their faces as they realize exactly what's coming. A shadowy figure flies above them and hovers high above the bridge. The group stares at it.

"H-Holy crap." Junpei stutters. "I-Is that what I think it is?!"

The clouds begin to part again, letting the moonlight reveal the figure's form: a humanoid creature in a torn black robe, its face shrouded in a cloth sack with only one ominous white eye peeking out of the side covered in blood, wearing two long chains across its left and right shoulders forming a cross, and wielding two long-barrel revolvers.

Yukari's eyes widen.

"T-The Reaper?!" she shouts.

"What the hell is that thing doing out here?!" Akihiko yells.

"It doesn't matter!" Mitsuru shouts. "We have to…!" The Reaper starts diving down towards everyone. Yukari sees Minato charging towards it, roaring as he did before as his rage returns and the aura bursts forth again.

"Minato, no!" she screams. "You can't fight it! It's too strong!" Thanatos appears beside Minato and helps Minato Garudyne Jump to attack the Reaper. The Reaper swiftly dodges Minato's and Thanatos' attacks, then flies upward and starts shooting at them. They narrowly dodges the Reaper's bullets as they charge at it again. It flies under Minato, bashes him into the air, then flies above him, and fires Myriad Arrows at point blank range, taking out Thanatos in the process. Minato screams in pain as the shots send him crashing into the ground.

"Minato!" Yukari rushes to him, not noticing the Reaper aim at her.

"Yuka-tan, look out!" The Reaper casts Maziodyne at her. She narrowly dodges most of them, but the last big one strikes her and she drops to the ground.

"Yukari-chan!" Fuuka gasps. Everyone rushes over to help the couple. The Reaper, who had its sights on Minato, turns to them and casts Maragidyne around them to trap them in a ring of flames. It then fires its right revolver into the air. Everyone's eyes widen as the radiant glow of Megidolaon shines above them, shoots down to the ground in the center of them, and sets off a devastating blast. When the light dies down, they are all lying on the ground, motionless.

The Reaper, seeing this, turns its attention back to Minato. Minato, who is covered in arrow wounds and his own blood, slowly regains consciousness, sees the Reaper, and growls at it as it aims its revolvers at him. It fires six bullets at him and just when he's about to act, something quickly jumps in front of him and takes the hits.

Minato's rage slowly turns to despair when he not sees, but recognizes the smell of the presence in front of him: Yukari has taken the shots to her back! Yukari tenses up and shuts her eyes in pain, then slowly looks down at Minato, her vision starting to fade and he body starting to shut down, and gently smiles.

"M-M-Mina… to… P-Please… run…" That's all she is able to say before losing consciousness and dropping to the ground.

Minato, with his eyes briefly returning to normal, stares at her motionless body in horror, then rushes to hold her up. He loudly grunts as he shakes her, trying to wake her up, but she doesn't respond. She just laid there in his arms, eyes closed and body heavy and motionless. Minato's jaw slowly drops and he shakes her even harder, still trying to wake her up. When she fails to awaken again, he slowly holds her head to his chest, cradling her in his arms.

"Y-Y-Yu... Y-Yu... Yuka... ri..."

He suddenly hears the Reaper's chains jangling as it approaches him. His despair slowly turns back into rage as he gently lays her body back down on the ground and stands. His rage feels like its about to reach an even bigger bursting point than the first time, as if this time it's reaching an even higher level. His body starts to tremble as the energy he uses to summon his Personas envelops him in a violet light and brings out Thanatos above him, as if it was reacting to Minato's anger and obeyed his command without the use of his Evoker.

Thanatos then floats down to stand above him, kneels down, and slowly wraps his arms around his body. The violet aura wraps around the both in a flame-like ball that slowly turns black and blue. The ball of aura shrinks down to Minato's size and begins to disappear.

As it fades, Minato and Thanatos seem to have somehow merged into one with Minato wearing Thanatos' clothes: the metal coffin lid cape hanging on his waist and the upper part of his mask concealing his eyes. The back of Minato's hair seems to have gotten longer and he is wielding Thanatos' katana, which is now cloaked in a dreadful flame of red, black, and blue, in his right hand. All of his wounds, including his torn apart hands, glow a radiant crimson red.

Minato stomps his right foot into the ground, creating a crater below him, crosses his arms, and his rage and his energy, explodes as he lets out a dreadful, anger fueled wail that pierces through the air. He uses Garudyne to fly after the Reaper, seemingly at lightning speed, and strike it with a powerful Brave Blade, sending it flying towards into the skies of the city before zooming after it.

The Reaper recovers, then casts a string of Maragidyne, Mabufudyne, Magarudyne, and Maziodyne spells at the monstrous Minato. Minato deflects them all with extreme ease, using the Margarudyne barrier he's created and flies behind it. He lands a hard 12-hit sword and melee combo, landing a powerful God's Hand punch for the finisher. The Reaper recovers and performs Vorpal Blade, which Minato easily blocks. It then goes for Vile Assault, which he dodges, then flies backwards. The Reaper fires Myriad Arrows, but Minato easily deflects all of the shots with his blade. Minato flies around it, hitting it with a barrage of Garudyne and Megido spells.

Minato then zooms narrowly past the Reaper, grunting as he lands a single slash across its chest with its blood splattering on him. He stops on a dime, then does it again and again and again with his speed increase with each attacking pass and the Shadow's blood on him beginning to cover his body. His separate loud grunts turn into a single dreadful scream as he overwhelms the Reaper in an endless Tempest Slash.

The torn up Reaper shoots five Megidos, three Megidolas, and one Megidolaon at him. Minato bats away the Megidos, spin slashes the Megidolas in two, and pierces through the Megidolaon. He casts five Megidos, which merge to make an enormous Megidolaon, and blasts the Reaper away.

The Reaper crashes on the east side of the Moonlight Bridge. It slowly starts to recover, but Minato crashes down on it, impaling it with his katana. Minato glares at him with his feral red eye and breathes like wild beast as he stand over it. He then begins slashing, beating, and ripping it to a bloody pulp, mauling at it with his sword, hands, and even his teeth. After brutally tearing apart his enemy, he raises his katana, the ground begins to quakes, and cracks with light shining through them begin appearing under the two. Minato roars at the top of his lungs as he drives his blade through the Reaper's chest, causing the cracks below them to give way to a chaotic light that erupts from the ground and reaches the skies above, completely annihilating the Reaper, eradicating everything that it is.

When the light dies out, Minato is standing by himself looking down at the ground, completely covered in the Reaper's blood. Now that his current foe is no more, his rage seems to have finally faded. As he stands, he suddenly feels a faint presence on the west side of the bridge. It's a bright presence, with a familiar warmth and comfort to it. He turns towards the bridge, recognizing that presence, and slowly limps up the bridge towards it.

"Y-Yu… ka…"

**xxx**

Back on the west side of the bridge, Yukari and the other seem to have regained consciousness. Yukari, Mitsuru, and Ken just finished healing their comrades to the point when they can fight. Yukari turns to Fuuka.

"Alright, Fuuka. Where is he?" Yukari asks her.

"Give a sec," Fuuka says. Fuuka summons Juno and tries to pinpoint Minato's location. She senses something coming toward the group.

"There's something coming towards us," she tells her group.

"Is it Arisato?" Mitsuru asks. "Or the Reaper?" Fuuka shakes her head.

"No… Actually, I can't tell exactly what it is… I'm getting all kinds of readings from it." Fuuka points towards the east side of the bridge.

"But it's approaching from there." Everyone looks towards the east and stands on guard in case it's an enemy. They see a shadowy figure coming towards them. The clouds above part and the moonlight reveals the figure's true form. Everyone is confused, especially Yukari.

_It looks like… Thanatos_ , she thinks.

"Wait… Minato-kun?" Fuuka gasps. Everyone turns to her.

"What? Did ya find him?" Junpei asks.

"That creature… it's reading is…" Fuuka gets a clear reading of the creature approaching them. She recognizes it.

"Everyone, don't attack it! That's him! That creature… It's Minato-kun!" Everyone looks to the creature in shock.

"That's him?!" Ken shouts. "N-No way! What happened to him?!" Everyone rushes towards him, Yukari trailing behind them.

Minato continues to stalk towards the presence he feels when he hears faint voices call out to him. His vision starts to clear up a bit as he looks up to see the blurred faces of his comrades. He doesn't clearly hear what they are saying to him, but he assumes they are asking if he's okay. The clear image of his love catches his eye.

"Y-Y-Yu… ka…" He wheezes as he slowly walks towards her, lifting up his hand to reach out to her. She slowly walks towards him.

"Y-Yu… ka…" She nods and reaches out her hand, allowing Minato to hold it. The energy that caused his monstrous transformation slowly fades away, allowing him to change back to his human form, though the blood of the fallen Reaper still remains. All of his senses return to normal. Yukari looks at him with great worry on her face.

"Are you okay?" she asks him. Minato looks to see everyone gathered around him, noticing the injuries on their bodies. Sadness starts to build up within him.

_It… happened again_ , he thought.  _They got hurt… and it's my fault again._  Minato slowly drops to his knees, looking down at the ground as his shoulder tremble.

"... I-It... It took **everything** ," he murmurs. "My past... my parents... my life... The Dark Hour took  **everything**  from me... And... just when I thought I could live... it's gonna take everything **again**... And I can't do anything... even though I tried so hard... to protect everyone..." No one says a thing when he pauses.

"W-Why…? Why…? I-I w-was… I was…" His body starts to tremble and tears flood his eyes as he tries to hold back his sobs.

"J-Just… starting to… W-Why…?!" He suddenly feels a hand being gently placed on his shoulder and hears his name being called.

"Minato…" Minato looks up to see Yukari kneeling down to him. He can clearly see her, even with his eyes blurred by tears. She slowly opens her arms out to him and gives him a gentle smile. He remembers how he did the same thing for her when he delivered her father's last message. He realizes that even though being around him will end up getting her killed, she still wants to be here for him now, just like he was for her then.

He lets his head slowly fall onto her left shoulder and she hugs him tightly and rubs his back, just like he did for her, not caring how much of the Reaper's blood smeared off on her. He breathes heavily, feeling his sadness about to flood out as Yukari's warmth consumed him and made him feel secure. He starts tensing up, making his body tremble even more, still trying to hold back until her warmth consumes him completely, telling him it's okay to let it all out… and he does.

He takes his deepest breath, quickly wraps his arms around her waist, hugs her as tight as he can, and lets out his loudest, despair filled wails, letting all his bottled up emotions rush out like a flood gate. He wants to cry as much as he can, so that maybe he can finally return from his state of hopelessness.

" _ **I'M SORRY!**_ " he cries out. " _... I-I'm sorry! ... I'm so sorry...!_ " That's all he says for a while.

As his wails slowly die down to sobs, he starts hearing Yukari crying.

"I-It's… it's okay." she sobs. "C-Cry as much as you want to… cry forever for all I care… I-I'll never let you go…" Yukari squeezes him as tight as she can.

"I-I'm right here… I'm not going anywhere… Even if the world ends... I'll always be right here with you, Minato…"

This makes Minato cry even more, but not in sadness. He's never felt so hurt since thrown into in this world all alone ten years ago, way earlier than he was supposed to. Now, he's more hurt than he was then, but he's happy that, for the first time in a long time, someone is here to stay with him… and it's the person he loves more than anything in this doomed world.

"...  _Y-Yuka…_ " He slowly pulls off a smile as they continued to hold each other… until they both cried themselves to sleep.

**xxx**

A whole week passes afterwards. It's Sunday back at the dorm. Minato walks out of his room and down the hall, rubbing his eyes and groaning.

"S'up, dude!" He turns to see Junpei and Akihiko sitting around the coffee table and waves to them.

"Feeling any better?" Akihiko asks. Minato shakes and hangs his head.

"Um… so… I wasn't on the news, was I?" he asks.

"Huh? What're you talkin' about?" Junpei asks.

"I mean… there wasn't a big story about the lunatic who ran through the city, biting his hands til they bled, was there?" Junpei laughs and shakes his head.

"Nah! People are losing their minds all over the city, anyway! No one's gonna make a big deal about  **that one guy**."

"Oh… okay…" Minato rubs the back of his neck.

"Hey… listen… I… I-"

"You better not say you're sorry again, man." Junpei interrupts. "Yuka-tan told you, we  **all**  told you: **It's not your fault.** " Minato balls up his hands.

"Y-Yeah, but…"

"Listen, what happened happened," Akihiko says. "There's nothing you can do about it. Right now, you should focus on making your decision. You  **are**  the only one who can really make our decision." Junpei scratches his head.

"Hey, it's kinda messed up to remind him about that now, isn't it?" Junpei asks, remembering how he snapped at Minato. Minato just sighs.

"Yeah… I guess I can try…" He then sees Mitsuru walks past them, knocks on Yukari's door, and enter her room. After staring at the door, Minato walks up and puts his ear on the door to listen in, wondering if she's trying to ask Yukari about her decision.

"Hey, what're you doing?" Akihiko asks.

"Dude, I doubt you're gonna hear Yuka-tan and Mitsuru-senpai talking about anything good," Junpei says with a smile.

"It's not that! Shh!" Minato continues to listen to the girls' conversation. His face reveals surprise, as if he heard something he didn't expect to hear.

"What? What is it? Are they talking about something good after all?!" Junpei asks. Minato waves his hand at him and listens more. He then steps away from the door and looks down in thought.

"What were they saying?" Akihiko asks. Minato shakes his head and slowly smiles. Whatever he just heard the girls say… it seems to somehow be starting him on the path to his recovery.

"Oh… nothing," he says. Fuuka walks up to the boys.

"Good morning," she says. "What's going on?"

"Nothin', apparently," Junpei sighs. Minato look at Fuuka.

"Hey, Fuuka. Quick question," he says to her.

"What is it?" she asks.

"When me and Yukari cried ourselves to sleep and you guys had to carry us home…" Minato glares at Junpei as he cracks the knuckles on his left hand.

"Junpei didn't cop a feel on Yukari, did he?" Junpei steps away from Minato.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hey, why are you cracking your knuckles?!"

"Don't worry." Akihiko laughs. "Junpei carried  **you**.  **I** carried Yukari." Minato looks to his senpai.

"Oh, okay... Fuuka, let me rephrase that." Minato glares at Akihiko and cracks his right hand's knuckles.

"When me and Yukari cried ourselves to sleep and you guys had to carry us home,  **Akihiko-senpai** didn't cop a feel on her, did he?" Akihiko steps away from Minato.

"Hey, why're you changing it to me?!" Minato starts laughing.

"Aha ha… Sorry. Just kidding."

"What's with you, all of sudden?" Junpei asks. "You were way more depressed than hell a second ago." Minato shakes his head and stares at the Christmas reef hanging on the wall.

"Nothing… Just… I can't wait for Christmas. That's all."

* * *

_**Chapter 8: End** _


	9. Was It Worth It? Part 3: Epiphany

* * *

Minato's been quickly recovering from his massive mental meltdown at the Moonlight Bridge, both physically and mentally, at an unbelievable rate, thanks to the recent pick-me-up he got from overhearing Yukari and Mitsuru's conversation. He still bears the same guilt from before, but it doesn't bother him that much anymore.

Besides, he hasn't had time to worry. A really special day is coming up.

**xxx**

At the Naganaki Shrine, he and Yukari are taking Koromaru out for a late night walk. Koromaru is barking and running around in circles.

"Someone seems excited," Minato says with a smile.

"Koro-chan is always so happy when we get a holiday," Yukari says. Minato kneels down to pet Koromaru when he pads over to him.

"It's because that means everyone can stay at the dorm. He's like you and me. He doesn't like staying in the stuffy old dorm building by himself all day." Minato touches Koromaru's nose with his.

"Isn't that right, old buddy, old pal, old friend?" Koromaru barks twice and Minato screams and laughs as the dog pounces him to the ground and starts licking his face.

"W-Whoa! Aha ha, K-Koro, calm down!" Yukari giggles.

"You seem a lot happier too! What's gotten into you?!" Koromaru races off when he's done licking Minato and Yukari reaches her hand out to him to help him up.

"Wash your face when we get home," she says. "I don't want it smelling like dog slobber." Minato smiles as he takes her hand and she pull him up.

"Right, okay." The two walk over to the playground, sit on the bench, and talk while Koromaru runs around for a while. A few moments pass.

"Hey, I have a question." Yukari says. "But it might sound weird."

"Summon your Persona."

"Huh?" Minato scratches his head.

"I-I mean, shoot." Yukari giggles.

"Okay. So… you know what day tomorrow is, right?"

"Yep. That  **is**  weird," Minato says. "There's no way I'd forget."

"Aha ha. Right. Well, uh… I'm… gonna have something ready for you, just in case. So... if you have time… um…" Yukari looks down and blushes. Minato leans in.

"What's up?" Yukari shakes her head and looks back at him.

"W-Well, I'll tell you the rest tomorrow. Ha ha ha..."

"You're never gonna stop being a total tease, are you?" As she laughs, Minato wants to hint her about something he has ready for her for tomorrow too, so he pretends to be embarrassed and turns away from her.

"Y-Yeah… I might have something for you too." he mumbles, making sure to say it loud enough for her to only hear a little bit of it.

"What was that?" Minato looks forward with a smile.

"Oh, it's nothing." he lies. Yukari leans in.

"C'mon! What is it?"

"Really! It's nothing!"

"Fine!  **Don't** tell me!"

"Alright, I  **won't**!" The two of them laugh together as Koromaru runs towards them and barks once.

"Oh, there you are," Yukari says. "Whoa, your nose is all dirty." Yukari kneels down to Koromaru.

"C'mere and let's get you clean before we go home." Minato knows what's about to happen after Koromaru barks twice.

"H'oh boy." Yukari shrieks as Koromaru pounces her to the ground and starts licking her face, just like he did with Minato.

"Eek! H-Hey! Aha ha ha… K-Koromaru, cut that out!" Minato laughs at her expense.

"Heh. Now, who's the dog slobber face?"

**xxx**

The next day during class, Minato listens intently to Mrs. Terauchi's special lecture.

"Today is December 24th… Christmas Eve," she says. "It's an important day in Europe and America. Although unlike in Japan, December 25th, Christmas Day, is even more important. Do you all know why we celebrate Christmas in the first place?" Minato smiles, knowing what she's about to say.

"In Japan, Christmas Eve is just a day for couples to spend time together and give gifts. It's interesting that a day which is celebrated worldwide is observed differently from country to country. Another example is Valentine's Day. Try looking it up, if you're interested."

After his recovery, Minato has been looking forward to today. This'll be the first time he'll be celebrating Christmas Eve with a girl. In fact, this is the first time celebrating a major holiday with anyone… and he wouldn't spend it with anyone but Yukari.

**xxx**

At lunchtime, Minato hears his phone go off. He pull it out of his pocket and checks it. It's a text from Yukari.

Yukari: _Sorry for waiting til the last minute,_ it.  _But today's Christmas. Wanna go somewhere after school?_

Minato smirks and types his reply.

"There's... no one... I'd rather spend today with... than you." he says as he types the words.

**xxx**

School has ended and Minato is waiting for Yukari at the school gate. He sees her rush toward him and smirks at her.

"Ya know, you're such a weirdo," he says to her. "Why did you think you had to ask me? You know I wouldn't miss spending today with you for anything." Yukari glares at him.

"S-Shut up! I was just really nervous, okay? I-I've never spent Christmas Eve like this before. This'll… be my first time." Minato holds her hand.

"Yeah. Mine too. So, ready to go?" Yukari nods at him.

"Yeah. We don't have all night, ya know. We still have a curfew!" Minato scratches his head.

"Oh wait… I-I kinda forgot to think about where we're gonna go."

"Hey, did you hear about the Christmas lights that were hung up at Paulownia Mall? I heard they turn everything into something really amazing. I've actually been looking forward to seeing it." Minato nods.

"Then, let's go right now."

**xxx**

A little bit later, the couple walk through the front entrance and an abstract display of light hung up throughout the mall. Lights hanging from the ceiling, stretching across the rail guards on the upper floor, wrapped around reefs hanging on the walls, and there are even tree made completely out of light next to the central fountain.

Yukari gazes at the display in awe, instinctively resting her head on Minato's shoulder, as the lights shine in her eyes.

"Whoa, it's so pretty...!" she gasps. "...And so romantic." Minato smiles, impressed by how much work it went into pulling this off.

"When you said the lights were supposed to transform the whole place, you were right," he says.

"Yeah… I could look at this all night long." Minato smiles at Yukari, amazed by how deep she gets lost when it comes to romantic settings as she sighs and squeezes his hand.

_Note to self_ , he thinks.  _Find romantic places you can take her to for Valentine's Day and your anniversary._

Minato feels a slight sting on his right hand when Yukari squeezes it too tight.

"O-Ow! H-Hey, ease up, vice gripper." Yukari snaps out of her trance, realizing how tightly she's holding one of her boyfriend's injured hands.

"Oh, sorry! I-I didn't mean to! Are you alright?!" Yukari tries to pull her hands away, but Minato doesn't let her.

"I won't be if you let go," he says with a smile. "Don't squeeze it too hard. That's all." Yukari nods and goes back to gazing at the lights.

"Did you know they brought in a famous designer to oversee the decorations?" she mentions.

"I didn't even know about these lights until-" Yukari notices Minato stop in mid-sentence and groans. She turns to him.

"What? What's wrong?" Minato turns to her with a narrow eyed look.

"Yeah, hey… you know what these decorations can do without?" he asks her, using his eyes to lead her to what he's talking about. Yukari looks and sees what he's talking about: the Nyx Doomsday Cult posters plastered on the wall and lying on the floor. The same ones that have been showing up all over the city.

"Oh… right. Yeah, I could do without all those too." she groans. Minato shakes his head and smiles at her.

"Good thing that has  **nothing**  to do with tonight," he says. "C'mon. Let's go see if there are more lights around." Yukari nods as she grabs Minato's arm with her left hand and the two start walking around the mall to enjoy the Christmas light wonderland.

**xxx**

About an hour or two later, the couple sit down at the usual bench after seeing all the lights. Minato massages his hands while gazing at the lights.

"It really is amazing here," he says to Yukari. "I'm glad you told me about this." Minato turns and notices Yukari staring at his hands in concern.

"My hands are fine. Really. Don't worry." Yukari looks at Minato.

"Are you sure?" she asks. "I was holding your right hand pretty tight for a long time." Minato takes off the latex gloves and unwraps the bandages on his hands, which are covered in black and dark purple teeth mark scars made from the bleeding.

"They're still bruised, but the cuts are all closed up. It's not that bad anymore, alright?" Yukari nods.

"Okay. If you say so." Minato looks at his bruised hands.

"Ya know… I think I'll keep the gloves and bandages off for today," he says. "Holding hands with you… it just doesn't feel the same with all that in the way." Yukari smiles and nods in agreement. She then opens her bag and grabs something inside. She blushes as Minato leans forward to see what she's digging for.

"H-Here. I… I have a present for you," she says. She pulls out a box wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper and hands it to Minato. Minato sets it on his lap and slowly tears away at the wrapping paper. Yukari rubs up and down her left arm.

"It's been a while, so I hope it tastes alright." Minato opens the box and smiles when he see a chocolate cake wrapped in plastic inside.

"Sweet! Literally," he says. Yukari nods.

"I told you I'd make you something for your birthday, didn't I? Hm… Well, I hope you like it." Minato smiles at her.

"I  **know**  I will. Thanks." Yukari giggles. Minato puts the cake in his bag and digs around to find his present to her.

"Alright. My turn." Yukari leans closer with anticipation.

"Ooh, you got me something?!"

"What's with the surprised tone?! Of course I got you something! It would be stupid of me  **not**  to give my girlfriend something on Christmas Eve." Minato digs deeper into his backpack.

"So, what I got you… it's kinda stupid, but… I just had a feeling you'd like it." He finally finds it.

"And just so you know, I had to watch Tanaka's show every Sunday for weeks until this finally showed up." Minato pulls out a brand designer bag he bought a while back on Tanaka's home shopping show. Yukari, whose eyes widen in absolute shock, gasps and snatches the bag straight out of his hands to his surprise.

"W-What the- Minato! Th-This is…!"

"Whoa! You startled me!" Yukari holds the bag to her chest.

"Oh, wow…! I-Is this really for me?!" Minato smirks.

"Why would it be for anyone else? I mean… there's only one person… one  **thing**  that matters to me more than anything in this world." Minato places his hand on Yukari's shoulder.

"And it couldn't be anyone else but you..." Minato recalls the little surprise he hid in the bag.

"Oh! And there's a little someone in the bag to help me prove it."

"Huh?"

"Be warned: I'm about to do the most embarrassing and stupid thing I've ever done in my life." Minato reaches inside the brand bag and stops.

"So, hey, did you know I learned how to summon a Persona any time now? And without an Evoker too."

"Wait, wha-" He clears his throat.

"Yeah! Here, watch! Ahem!  _ **Persona!**_ " He quickly pulls out a small Jack Frost plush doll, which makes Yukari's face light up even more. He turns the face towards him.

"Hi there, little buddy!" he says to the doll. "Well, this is it! Go over and say hello to your new best friend!" He turns the doll towards Yukari and waves it in front of her face while covering his mouth with his other hand.

" _Hi, Yukari!_ " he says in a squeaky voice. " _I'm Jack Frost, one of Minato's many many Persona friends!_ " Yukari giggles uncontrollably at Minato's little puppet show.

" _I protect him from monsters all the time, but now he wants me to stay with **you** , and I think I know why~!"_ He turns the face back to him.

"Aw c'mon, Jackie! I wanna tell her myself!"

" _Well, you're taking **way**  too long, so shut up! I'll do it for you!_" Minato rolls his eyes as he turns the doll back to Yukari.

" _He wants me to stay with you because he knows I can always be there to protect you. I'm part of his mind, so I can't lie. And Minato wants me to protect you..._ " He taps Yukari's nose with the doll's head three time.

" _Because he loves you **snow** ,  **snow**   **much!** " _Yukari takes the Jack Frost doll in his hand and sets it down on top of the brand bag.

"M-Minato... this... I-I can't believe..." Yukari, at a loss for words over her gift, uses her right hand to rub her eyes.

"Oh man… I-I think I'm gonna cry." Minato smirks.

"Awww. Does pwetty widdle Yukawi need a big hug?" he teases. He starts laughing, but it's cut off when she quickly puts her presents and gives him a bear hug. Minato whimpers as she slightly crushes his waist.

"Ack! Cracking… ribs… Ngh!"

"That's it! I've made up my mind! I'm gonna make up for this next year!" she proclaims. Her grip loosens a bit and Minato chuckles and hugs her back.

"Aha ha. I guess you did need one." Minato blushes in embarrassment.

"Uh, hey... be honest. W-Was the puppet show too much?"

"No! Of course not! It was the cutest thing you've ever done!" Yukari disconnects the hug and smiles.

"Minato… thank you so much." Minato smiles, happy that she likes the gift.

"Hey, no problem." he says. He shakes his head, recalling her saying that she would make this up to him.

"And… Y-You don't have to make it up to me. You've given me enough already." Yukari is confused.

"What do you mean?" Minato looks at her.

"Listen. Don't get mad, but… I kinda overheard you talking to Mitsuru-senpai in your room the other day."

"Oh, really? How much did you hear?" Minato looks down.

"Everything I needed to hear" he answers. "Aha ha… so I'm Mr. Not-So-Perfect who can't be killed, huh?"

Yukari looks up at the ceiling and flashes back to the part of the conversation with Mitsuru he is referring to.

**xxx**

Mitsuru was sitting on her bed and she was standing up when this part came up.

"Ryoji said Nyx can't be defeated…" she said to Mitsuru. "But, I kinda wonder about that... I don't think our  _special_  member can be killed either." Mitsuru nodded.

"I agree," Mitsuru said. "Death dwelled within him, amplifying his abilities, but he was exceptional to begin with."

"He's an interesting guy, huh?"

"Yes, he is." Yukari looks down and frowns.

"There's was one time when I thought he was this stuck-up perfect guy," she mumbles. "He was an athlete with perfect grades, perfect looks, and nothing ever fazed him." Yukari giggles.

"Hm... I even yelled that right in his face once." She frowns again.

"But after getting to know him... I found out that all that was... not a front, but more like a shell he was trapped in for years. Under that thick shiny shell of his, he has a really big heart. What happened at the bridge the other night... that was clear proof." Mitsuru nods.

"It honestly gave me quite a shock to witness someone who seemed so strong break down the way he did," she says. "It was what I was going through seemingly a thousand times over." Yukari sits on her bed.

"For the past week... I've kinda been thinking it was sorta  **my**  fault," she says. "I'm the one who cracked his shell open and exposed to the whole weight of that burden he has. That's why I want to be there for him every second I can to help him carry that weight, no matter what. Just like he's been there for me to help me with my own problems and find the strength to get through everything." Yukari smiles.

"When I think about it... maybe all this fighting isn't so bad. This year's been filled with a lot of amazing moments for me. Plus, I got the best friends I could ever ask for..." Yukari puts her hand over her heart and gently smiles with a bit of blush on her face.

"And, of course... the love of my whole life out of the deal."

**xxx**

Yukari returns to reality, blushes, and laughs.

"Y-Yeah, I guess I did say that," she admits. "I was just exaggerating, though."

"Which part? Me being unbeatable or me being the love of your life?" Minato asks. Yukari blushes.

"Uh, w-well... BOTH! Um... I-I mean..." Yukari sighs, knowing there's no way she can cover what she's already said.

"Ugh... no. Just the... unbeatable part..." Minato gives her a quick peck on her cheek and smiles.

"Good. I would've been kinda upset if you exaggerated that part too." Minato looks up at the ceiling.

"After all... it made me really happy... Happy enough to get me back on my feet." Yukari looks at Minato, surprised that her little confession was what helped him heal so fast.

"Glad to hear it," she giggles.

"Anyway, I don't think I'm immortal now, or anything," Minato says. "But… it did kinda made me realize something." Minato leans forward.

"The day Aigis sealed Ryoji inside me, she gave me the thing that could end up destroying the world, but she also powered up my Persona ability. I started thinking about what Junpei said. About me being the one who lead Ryoji back to his split apart pieces. "You should do something about it! You're supposed to be special, right?" After thinking about for a while… maybe he was onto something." Minato looks at the palm of his hand.

"If Aigis sealing Ryoji inside me is what made me accidentally cause all this… maybe her sealing him inside me is what'll help me stop it." Minato smiles.

"That's what  **I**  believe, anyway." Yukari smiles. It sounds as though he's finally made his decision: He's going to keep his memories and stand with her against Nyx.

"Well, I believe it too," she says. "To be honest, I know I can count on it." Minato is surprised.

"Why? It's just a personal theory." Yukari blushes.

"You're really gonna make me say it, aren't you?" She takes a deep breath and smiles.

"It's okay not to know what to do sometimes, but never stop believing in the people you love." Minato smiles and nods, hearing those words again. The words he said to her back at Yakushima. They've become a mantra to her now.

"Do you remember what you told Senpai after that?" he asks her. "What you said, I mean." Yukari smiles and nods.

"Yeah… Even if things don't work out, I'll be okay as long as I'm with everyone," she says. "It doesn't matter whether we live or die. All that matters is that we're proud of how we lived. And I'd be proud if we decided to fight Nyx." Minato nods.

"Yeah. Even if I can't find a way and we die, at least I'll still be with everyone in the end. More importantly…" Minato holds Yukari's hand and smiles.

" **You'll**  still be with me." Yukari blushes and looks up at the lights hanging from the ceiling.

"Ya know, when I first met you, Minato… I never thought we'd be spending time together like this. I guess it's because I was so used to being alone, so it was hard to think about. But now that we're here… I feel kinda stupid." Minato laughs with her.

"Trust me. You aren't the only one." Yukari glances back and forth between Minato and the floor.

"I-I wouldn't say this to anyone else… But… I've been dreaming of a moment like this…  _sooo_ …" Yukari sighs, then turns and smiles at Minato.

"Even though we're in such a crazy situation right now… just for today… I don't care about any of that... I just want to be by your side." Minato chuckles and looks down at her hand.

"I really did mean it when I said you don't owe me anything. You've done so much for me already. You helped me not feel so alone anymore... you gave me a reason to stay here... you made me feel whole again... and now… you've given me a reason to fight til the very end. You don't have to pay me back with a present at all." Minato squeezes her hand.

"Just… stay with me… That's all you have to do, Yuka." The two interlock their fingers and spend as much time as they can in this tender moment.

**xxx**

Moments later, Yukari checks her phone and is shocked to see what time it is: 9:45 p.m.

"Wow! Look at the time!" she exclaims, showing Minato the time on her phone.

"Whoa... Guess we were here for longer than we thought," he says. He scratches his head and sighs in disappointment.

"Why can't time just stop when you're having fun? Not fly... Uh... you wanna start heading back?" Yukari looks down for moment, then smiles at him.

"W-Well... I mean... we can stay a little longer, right?" she asks. Minato thinks on it.

" _Ummm_..."

"I-I'm sure everyone else is going to be late getting back too, since it's Christmas…" Yukari rubs the back of her neck in thought.

"Well, maybe not Junpei. I'm sure he's hanging out with the guys…" She shakes her head.

"But uh… that's a little off subject." She takes a deep breath and smiles at Minato.

"What I  _wanted to say_  was… I want to be with you a little longer tonight." Minato smiles at her.

"Weirdo. That's all you had to say... I want that to." Yukari giggles and then suddenly starts to shiver.

"Brr! H-Hey, are you cold? I-It's cold, right?" Minato scratches his head.

"Really? Doesn't feel so cold to me," he says. Yukari breaks the hand contact and shakes her head.

"No, I'm serious! It's  _really_  cold!  _Freezing blizzard_ cold! It's like the world's coldest deep freezer in here!" She suddenly starts to blush and laugh.

"Uh… ha ha… C-Can I… come closer?" Minato realizes what she's trying to do.

_Yuka, you're a terrible liar_ , he thinks. He smiles and signals Yukari that she can come closer. She giggles as she slowly slides in until their bodies touch, her face turning redder. Minato feels a sudden sting of cold on her arm.

"W-Whoa... you really  **are**  cold," he says as he slips off his uniform jacket and wraps itself around her. Yukari covers herself with her boyfriend's jacket like a blanket.

"W-Well… it's definitely a lot warmer now," she says. "...Not warm enough, though."

"Huh? What're you…?" Yukari turns slowly her body towards Minato.

"H-How about if you… wrap your arms around me…?" Minato blushes as she sneaks her right arm across Minato's lower back, stretches her left arm across his torso, and rest her head on his chest.

"Uh… Y-Yuka?" Minato doesn't get a response from her. She's already snuggled in close to him. Her legs were even on the bench now. Usually, she'd try not to act like this in a public place, but it doesn't seem like she cares about that at all today.

Minato chuckles and wraps his left arm around her shoulders, letting her be as close to him as she wanted, not caring if someone saw them. After all, he can never get enough of her sweet flower smell.

"You know… acting and talking like that's going to get you kissed," he sighs.

"Sure…" she giggles. "But…" Minato sees her staring at him with sultry eyes.

"Who said I would mind?" Minato, hesitant at first, smirks and leans in to press his lips against hers, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in closer.

_Hm... it's definitely warm enough now._

**xxx**

A little while later back at the dorm, the couple walk through the front door into the empty lounge, except Koromaru sleeping in the corner. Minato walks toward the check-in sheet as Yukari looks around.

"Hm… guess everyone went to bed as soon as they got back," she inquires. Minato grabs a pen and notices that the check in sheet is completely blank.

"Wrong!" he says. Yukari walks over to Minato and looks at the check-in sheet as he signs his name. She's surprised at what she sees.

"Huh? No one's gotten back yet?" Minato gives her the pen so she can sign her name next.

"Guess Stupei  **did**  have plans for today. Looks like we could've stayed out a little longer." Yukari puts the pen down after signing her name and frowns.

"Yeah... I-I guess so…" A pained look appears on her face.

The couple walk up the stairs to the second floor and to the front door of Minato's room. Minato sighs, wishing tonight could've lasted a little longer. He wanted to spend as much time with Yukari as possible, but who knows when everyone will start coming back. He didn't want to get Yukari in trouble or, even worse, have Junpei spreading some sleazy rumor. Minato sighs, turns to Yukari, and sadly smiles.

"I feel bad it couldn't have lasted forever," he admits. "But… I had the best time ever with you tonight… Thanks." Yukari didn't say anything. She just stood there, holding his hand.

Minato kisses her on her forehead, opens the door with his left hand, and walks in. He notices that Yukari is still holding his his hand, not letting him go in. He turns back to her.

"Yuka?" Yukari starts squeezing Minato's hand tighter, which causes it to sting.

"O-Ow! Y-Yuka, that's too tight." For some reason, Yukari squeezes it even harder. She then yanks Minato's arm as hard as she can to pull him towards. She quickly wraps her free arm around his neck and pulls him into a kiss. Minato's eyes widen and his body freezes in surprise as she pulls him in deeper and something slowly wiggles it's way into his mouth.

_Wait... Her tongue?!_  Upon that discovery, Yukari's hold only gets tighter. His first instinct is to push her away, but after considering the situation, feeling tightly she's clinging to him and the way she's moaning, he can clearly make out what she's feeling inside. The same feeling he has, only much stronger.

As his surprise melts away, he closes his eyes and wraps his free arm around her waist, pulling her in as close as he can and allowing his tongue to enter her mouth. The couple, lost in passion, have the same thought rushing through their minds.

_I don't want this night to end! I won't let it end! I want to be with you longer!_

Minato steps backwards into his rooms as Yukari leans towards him, gently pushing him forward, stopping only to slam the door shut.

**xxx**

Minato endures the hard surprise impact as Yukari manages to pin him down on his bed, still refusing the break the kiss. He feels the palms of her soft hands being placed on his cheeks, then slowly move down his neck, then his shoulders, then reach his chest and move to cast aside his headphones and bow tie and unbutton his shirt.

Minato's thoughts and the strong rapid beating of his heart will his hands to move and he quickly makes for her ribbon, unties it, and casts it aside, not knowing or caring where it ended up. Feeling her hands reach his skin, he quickly unzips her sweater jacket, unbuttons her shirt, and digs under it to reach her stomach.

He feels Yukari's initial shock and she finally breaks the kiss. She slowly pushes herself up and her face starts turning red, noticing Minato's lap between her legs. Minato sits up to meet her, removing his hands from her waist. He assumes that she was moving on pure instinct, meaning she had no idea what she was doing. He feels a bit of fear appear somewhere inside him.

_Hold on_ , he thinks.  _When did something like this happen before?_

He gulps when he remembers: Shirakawa Boulevard, when he saw her in nothing but a towel!

He looks up at her when he feels her body shaking. Her whimpering and the way she's glaring at him confirms his prediction of what comes next. Yukari reels her right fist back and Minato lets out a brief scream and shuts his eyes, bracing himself for the incoming punch.

_Aw, come on! This isn't my fault either!_

His body tightens up, in case this'll is be more than just a punch in the face, which mostly likely will be. It feels like the punch is taking hours to come. The waiting is absolute agony. He gulps before speaking up.

"W-Will you hurry up already?!" he shouts. "A-Are you gonna punch me or not?!"

Suddenly, he feels two palms gently being placed on his face. He opens his eyes and sees Yukari intently staring at him. No glare, no embarrassed look, she's just staring at him. She gives him a few pecks on his lips, then hesitates before putting her hands on his shoulders, digging under his shirt, and slowly moves them down his arms to take it off.

Minato takes a deep breath through the nose, reaches under her shirt and behind her to unhook her pink and black bra, and does the same to her, avoiding looking at her upper body. Yukari closes her eyes for a moment, gulps, then gives Minato a gentle flushed smile as interlocks her fingers behind his neck.

"I-It... it's okay," she whispers. "It's  **you** , so... it's okay." Minato smiles back at her and wraps his arms around her waist.

"Y-Yeah... I-I... I-I want to because... it's you too." Yukari pulls herself in to kiss him again, letting her soft bare upper body rub against his moderately muscular chest for a moment before making him fall back on his bed once again.

"I love you...  **so**  much, Yuka..."

"I-I... love you too... Minato..."

They were so lost in passion they had a hard time being quiet.

**xxx**

Moments laters, clothes, including underwear, have been discarded on the floor and Minato is holding Yukari close to him under his bed sheets, her head resting on his chest. He looks up at the ceiling and chuckles.

"What's so funny?" Yukari asks him. He shakes his head.

"Nothing, nothing," he says. "Just… of all the things I expected to happen tonight…  **that**  definitely wasn't one of them." Yukari smiles and rubs his chest.

"Hm. Yeah, that  **is**  kinda funny, huh? ... So... uh..."

"Hm?"

"H-How... how was it?" Minato raises an eyebrow.

"Whaddya mean?"

"C'mon! You know  **exactly**  what I mean! Just... how'd I do? Did I do a good job?" Minato blushes and sheepishly laughs when he gets the picture.

" _Ohhhhhh!_  Oh! Uh... ah ha ha ha... W-Well... this was my first time too, so... I-I can't really give you an expert evaluation." He pauses to find the words.

"But... There was no greater feeling like it for me." Yukari sighs in relief.

"Oh, that's good." Minato's arm squeezes her.

"S-So... how about me? How'd  **I** do?" Yukari blushes as she tries to find the words.

" **You**... are gonna leave me wanting more every time." Minato's eyes suddenly pop and he starts laughing.

"Ah ha ha ha ha ha! Hey, I just remembered! No wonder you were so worried about everyone hearing you scream!"

"Oh, you shut up!" There's a brief pause in conversation.

"Can't believe I'm actually saying this," Yukari says. "But... I think I want to get better."

"At what?"

" **This!**  I mean... you mean the whole world to me, so... maybe getting better will help me show it." Minato is dumbfounded by how that strangely sounds logical in his head.

"Wow... That... actually sounds right to me, for some reason... Maybe I should get better too." Yukari starts giggles.

"I can't believe we're actually talking about this!"

"Hey, I call not my fault!  **You're**  the closet perv who brought it up!"

"Yeah, but  **you're** the closet perv who kept it going!"

"W-Well then, I guess we're  **both** closet pervs!"

"Hmmm... yeah." They both laugh.

After some time passes, Minato can't help but think about Aigis being repaired back at the lab.

_Thank God she's not here right now_ , he thinks.  _I don't even wanna know what would happen if she broke in again and saw us like this_. Yukari pokes Minato's cheek with her finger.

"Hey… can I tell you something?" she asks.

"Anything," he says. Yukari closes her eyes.

"Ever since we found out about Ryoji and the end of the world… I've kinda been thinking about everything that happened up to now. My father dying in the incident ten years ago... me getting away from my mom... awakening to my Persona, working Mitsuru-senpai and the Kirijo Group... all of it. So much had to happen for things to come to this and lately… I've been thinking… was it all worth it?"

Minato frowns, thinking about him bringing Ryoji back to Iwatodai and gathering his separated pieces to revive Nyx without even knowing it being one of the things she's talking about.

"So… was it worth it?" Minato feels Yukari kiss his cheek. He looks at her, seeing her gentle, innocent smile.

"Are you kidding me?" she giggles. "Getting to be with you was way more than worth it. I don't think I've ever felt this happy before, even when my dad was alive." Yukari uses her left hand to turn Minato's face towards her and rub his cheek.

"Even with all the crazy stuff that happened… this has been the greatest year of my whole life, all thanks to you." She slowly climbs on top of him, as to get back into her love maker position.

"I don't care what had to happen for us to meet... for us to fall for each other... for us to be together like this. I… I'm just so glad I found you." Minato smiles, finally feeling relieved of the guilt he felt for his unknown crime, knowing that he got to be with her because of it. He places his hand on the buckle of Yukari's heart choker as he slowly sits up.

"You took the words right out of my mouth," he says. "Getting to be with you… that makes it all worth it." Yukari giggles as she wraps her arms around his neck and he wraps his around her waist, making sure he was comfortable for round four.

"Hm… Merry Christmas, Minato." Minato nods slightly.

"Yeah… Merry Christmas, Yuka." They pull each in as close as they can for a passionate gateway kiss, with one thought being engraved in Minato's heart:

_Yeah… It really was worth it._

* * *

_**Chapter 9: End** _


	10. What Suffering Brings

It's never easy to choose how you are going to die. In fact, almost no one is ever given that choice. However, Minato is one of those people who has. And it's not just his death that's in question here. The deaths of everyone in S.E.E.S., his friends, even the love of his life, Yukari, are being brought into the equation.

Does he kill his best friend, Ryoji, the Appriser of Death that he unwillingly raised, confirming the coming of the Fall, to erase their memories of the Dark Hour and live in peace until their inevitable death? Or does he let Ryoji live and attempt to confront Nyx, a deity of death who supposedly can't be defeated, and face eternal despair and suffering?

After weeks of agonizing over the given choices and talking to everyone, Minato has finally come to a decision. And so, New Year's Eve has finally come and, as promised, Ryoji has returned to claim their final decision.

**xxx**

It's one hour before the Dark Hour begins. Everyone, including Ryoji, gathers around the coffee table in the lounge. Ryoji smiles at everyone.

"Hey. Long time no see…" he says. Minato, who is standing right next to him, smiles.

"Hm… Hey, Ryoji." Ryoji nods to him, then looks at everyone.

"Midnight's just around the corner," he says. "At midnight, I will change from this form into something unrecognizable. So… have you reached a decision?" Everyone remains silent. Ryoji just stands up.

"Well, I'll be waiting in his room until midnight. Come see me when you have your answer." Ryoji starts walking to the stairs, everyone staring at him.

"Ryoji-kun…" Fuuka mumbles. Ryoji stops and looks back.

"Oh, and one more thing," he says. "Don't let the fact that you'll have to kill me influence your decision. As I said before, I'm going to disappear anyways. I won't feel any pain by "dying". So, there's no need to worry about me." Everyone remains silent. Ryoji nods.

"I'll be waiting." As Ryoji starts walking away, Minato walks up to him.

"Uh, Ryoji. Wait," he calls out. Ryoji stops and turns to him. Minato leans in and whispers something in his ear. It surprises Ryoji, but he nods and continues to walk to and up the staircase.

"Hey, what was that about?" Junpei asks Minato.

"Uh… in a sec." Mitsuru looks intently at Minato.

"Have you made your decision?" she asks. Minato looks to her and nods.

"I see." Mitsuru looks to everyone else.

"Has the rest of you made your decision?" Everyone nods.

"No need to ask me," Akihiko says.

"You know how I feel," Yukari says.

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't on board," Junpei says.

"I'm with the rest of you," Fuuka says.

"I'm in too," Ken says.

"I have made my decision as well," Aigis says. Mitsuru nods.

"Then, we're all in agreement, yes?" Everyone turns to Minato.

"Better let him know then… okay?" Akihiko says. Everyone nods at Minato and he nods back. He then looks to Yukari.

"Actually, Yukari? Since we're all in agreement, I asked Ryoji if you could come with me, cuz there's something I want you to hear when I tell him. He said it was okay, so…" Yukari stands from her seat, walks to his side, holds his hands, and nods at him with a smile.

"Sure. I kinda wanted to be there, anyway," she says. Minato looks to everyone else.

"Is this okay with you guys?" Everyone smiles and nods. Minato smiles.

"Thanks." Yukari tugs on his arms.

"Alright… let's go." He nods to her and they both walk up the staircase to his room to confront Ryoji.

As the couple make it to the second floor, Yukari feels Minato's hand squeezing hers tightly and his arm start to shake. His breathing even starts to heavy.

"Hey, are you alright?" she asks. Minato gulps.

"Oh. I-I'm fine." he stutters. "I-It's just… that feeling you get when you're about to pass the point of no return." Minato looks down.

"Once we tell him… we can't go back. No getting cold feet when the end of the world comes."

"Hm… yeah. I guess so." They arrive at the front door of Minato's room. Minato looks to Yukari.

"Aren't you scared?" he asks her.

"Well, I'd be lying if I said 'no'." she laughs. "But… it doesn't bother me that much."

"Why?" Yukari squeezes Minato's hand and smiles at him. Minato smiles, receiving the message she's sending.

"Oh. Heh. Yeah, I guess so," he says. Minato stares at his door, takes a deep breath, and slowly opens it.

**xxx**

The couple enter the room, the light of the full moon being the only thing keeping it lit, and see Ryoji sitting on Minato's bed, smiling at them.

"Hey," he says with a wave of his hand. Minato chuckles and waves at him as he walks up to him with Yukari.

"It's been a long time since we talked like this in your room," Ryoji says to Minato. "Although back then, I didn't appear in this form, and wasn't known by this name." Minato closes his eyes in reminiscence.

"Yeah. It was the morning after the fight with the Hanged Man, right?" Ryoji nods. Yukari looks at them both, confused.

"Wait, you guys knew each other before he came to Gekkou?" she asks them. Minato turns to her.

"That's right. I never did tell you, did I? Remember the night we first met and I asked you about the little boy with the contract you didn't know about?" Yukari looks to Ryoji, surprised.

"Ooh! So that was  **you**!" she exclaims. "No wonder I didn't know what he was talking about." Ryoji chuckles as Minato looks to him.

"His name was Pharos back then," Minato says. "He was a little kid with black and white striped pajamas, looking like some old school prison inmate."

"Heh. Well, I  _was_  technically a prisoner," Ryoji says. "I didn't really know what I was doing back then, giving you that contract." Ryoji looks down.

"But you know… when I remembered everything… it made me kinda happy that we had been friends for so long." Ryoji closes his eyes and smiles in reminiscence.

"Even now… I can still smile when I remember it… you and me sitting and talking in the dark like this all the time." Minato nods.

"Yeah… me too. And to me… you're still the same weird little kid you were before." Ryoji chuckles.

"Am I? Hm… Well, I'm glad to see you've changed." Yukari giggles at their banter.

"It's like you two are childhood friends… And I guess you are, in a way." The "childhood friends" smile at her before a great silence dominates the room. Ryoji sighs to break the silence and looks at the couple with concern.

"Don't tell me you've all decided to let me live…" Yukari frowns.

"Ryoji-kun…"

"You're all going to risk your lives on a battle you can't win. But… you two are the only ones here right now, so…" Ryoji leans forward, staring intently at them.

"I'll say this one more time. If you kill me, your memories of Tartarus, the Dark Hour, and all of the battles you've fought will disappear. Tomorrow, you two and everyone else will wake up as normal high school students. You'll all be able to live in peace until the moment of the Fall." Ryoji looks down.

"But if you let me live, you'll spend every waking moment until that day in absolute fear of your inevitable death." Ryoji looks up and glares at them.

"Nyx cannot be defeated… It's  **useless**  to fight her." Ryoji stands and looks at Yukari.

"Yukari-san, Minato told me that you've both reached the same decision," he says to her. "But… it's ultimately  **his**  choice. So whatever he chooses, you won't try to stop him, right?" Yukari shakes her head.

"He told me our answers are the same," she says to Ryoji. "But to tell the truth… if he decides that he wants to forget everything and live in peace… I won't get in his way. As long as we're together, it doesn't matter to me." Minato turns to her.

"Yuka…" Ryoji smiles.

"It's clear that your bond with her is precious to you," he says to Minato. "And no matter what, you'll be sharing you're final moments together. That fact alone should be good enough reason to choose a peaceful end, right?" Minato frowns as Ryoji stares straight into his eyes.

"Midnight's drawing closer. Once it does, I'll be gone. This is your one and only chance to make the decision: Kill me now and abandon this dark, hopeless reality and live the rest of your short life happily... or cower in fear as you await the day of your death." The tension of the situation couldn't be more crushing.

"Now… make your choice, Minato." Minato closes his eyes for a moment, then stares at Yukari and squeezes her hand.

"It's true," he says. "My bond with Yukari is the most precious out of all the ones I've made this far. And… it's more important to me than anything in this whole world." Minato looks to Ryoji.

"But… that doesn't mean my memories of the Dark Hour and everyone else who's fought beside me aren't precious to me too. Those memories are what made this year the greatest time of my life and made me from the hollow shell I once was into the persona I am today, so… to just erase all of that in order to live of my life in peace?" Minato shakes his head.

"I-I just don't think I can do that. Even if I did forget, I'd be able to feel such a big part of my life being missing. I know I'd still be in pain, no matter what… So, I..." Minato glares at his friend.

"I'm sorry... but I won't do it…  **I'm not gonna kill you, Ryoji**." Ryoji's face shows his disbelief and fear for a moment, then he looks down and sighs.

"I guess my words didn't change your mind…" he says. "There's still some time until midnight…" Ryoji walks in front of Minato's TV, faces the couple, and closes his eyes.

"I didn't want to have to show you this… but I have no choice." A pillar of light erupts from the floor around Ryoji. When it disappears, Ryoji has turned into the ultimate Death Arcana Persona, Thanatos, towering over them in a dim blue light. Minato and Yukari back up in shock.

"What the…?!"

"Is that…?" The transformed Ryoji looks down on them.

"See…? I'm not human," he says to them. "I will bring death to this world until I am finally satiated. That is my only reason for existing. Please, make the right choice! Do not hesitate to kill me!" The shock in the couple's eyes disappears.

"I want you to think about this carefully, Minato," Ryoji says. "Is facing Nyx really the best decision…? Right now, you are all confused by the truth. But some things in this world cannot be changed. You do not understand this yet. Memories are ambiguous… Old ones can be replaced with new ones, creating a new reality. To erase the reality of the Dark Hour is to escape the pain that comes with it. Don't you want to end all of your friends' pain and suffering?" Minato stares intently into the holes of Thanatos'... Ryoji's mask.

"It's up to you," Ryoji says. "You're the only one who can truly make this decision." Ryoji kneels down to Minato, leaning in until their faces are centimeters apart from each other.

"Now… this is your last chance. The chance forged out of the bond you and I share. Whichever answer you give me… I will respect. But… Minato…" Yukari gulps, feeling the tension coming from their stare down.

"You have become my dearest friend in the past year. And I know I've made you suffer for almost all of your life. I just... I want to atone for the nightmare I put you through. And I want to make sure that the end of your life is a peaceful, happy one. I... I want to make things right... So please… kill me. I don't want you to suffer anymore… Please… I'm begging you…" Minato takes a deep breath, still maintaining eye contact.

"Ryoji… thanks for worrying about me," he says. "You've become a very close friend to me too, so I really appreciate your concern." Minato balls up his left hand.

"But… I'm already done thinking. And… even if my memories of the Dark Hour are replaced with new ones… and even if it does give me a new reality… I think I'd still be able to that it isn't my true reality." Minato looks down.

"Honestly… there was a time that I didn't want the Dark Hour to end. I thought if it did, all the friends I made because of it would just… disappear. I thought things would go back to being like they never happened and we'd just drift apart. I thought… I'd just be alone again." Yukari looks down at their connecting hands.

"Minato…"

"But… I think it was the memories of the Dark Hour that I was afraid of losing," Minato says. "In fact… I'm still afraid. The Dark Hour is what brought all of us together. The suffering that it caused brought about something great. I mean, even my bond with Yukari is still connected to it. The suffering of her losing her father and me losing my parents is what led us to each other. So if our memories of the Dark hour are erased, the emotional and most important memories that came with would be with them. And then… we'd really drift apart." He shakes his head.

"I don't want that to happen. I want to keep these memories within me for as long as I live. I want to die with the feelings that came with them still engraved in my heart. Even if it means I'll suffer, I want to die knowing that my friends are close to me because of these memories. Plus, I can't run away if it means everyone in this world would die. That'd just be selfish of me." Minato closes his eyes.

"So I'm sorry, Ryoji… but… I want to fight to the very end. I can't run away. I can't lose these memories. And… I can't kill my friend." Minato looks at Ryoji and sadly smiles.

"I want to live some more… with Yuka and everyone… and that can't happen if the world ends… So, I'm making my own third option…" Minato's sad smile turns confident.

"We fight… and we  **win**." There a long silence in the room before Ryoji stands, reverts back to his human form, and sighs, knowing that his friend's mind is made up.

"That's really your final choice, huh?" Minato nods.

"It is." Ryoji chuckles and puts his hand on his hip.

"You can be so stubborn, Minato," he says.

"You really think so?"

"Yeah. But… I understand. It's regrettable, but in the end, it's  **your**  lives… You can do what you want with them. I will respect your decision." Minato slowly nods. Ryoji looks to Yukari and smiles.

"Ya know, Yukari-san," he says. "He really does love you with everything he's got. I could tell by the passion he had when mentioned his bond with you. He had that  _burning fire of love_ in his eyes." Yukari smiles at Minato.

" _Oh, really!_ " she giggles. Minato starts blushing.

"Uh, hey! I can express my own feelings to people, thank you!" Yukari and Ryoji laugh, then Ryoji sighs.

"Well, let's head back to the lounge," he says. "If you're really serious about this... then I need to tell you guys how to confront Nyx." The couple nod as they follow Ryoji out of Minato's room.

**xxx**

Back downstairs, the three enter the lounge, where everyone is waiting, and take their seats.

"Yo! What's up, Ryoji?" Junpei exclaims with a smile. Ryoji sighs and scratches his head.

"It's an unfortunate decision," he says. "But it is  **yours**  to make." Yukari nods.

"That's right," she says.

"But you can't defeat Nyx. It's  **impossible**."

"But we must still try," Mitsuru says.

"Hey, you said it yourself," Minato says. "Something's in this world can't be changed." Ryoji turns to Minato, who wears a confident smile.

"But we don't really know if Nyx being impossible to defeat can be changed, now do we?" he says. Ryoji is surprised by Minato's confidence.

"Minato…" The S.E.E.S. members nod in agreement.

"Personally, I don't care if it is impossible," Akihiko says. Ryoji smiles.

"I understand," he says. He looks at the clock, which says 11:50, then back at everyone else.

"Alright. It's almost midnight, so I'll keep this brief. I'll tell you guys where to find Nyx." The S.E.E.S. members nod and Ryoji leans forward.

"You'll find her... at the top of Tartarus," he says. "On the Promised Day, you must journey to the very top of the tower. You'll meet her when she finally descends to its peak."

"When's the Promised Day?" Yukari asks.

"Exactly one month from tomorrow: January 31st, 2010. Nyx will descend to Tartarus… and the world will end."

"One month," Junpei mumbles.

"Tartarus is a gigantic rift in the darkness of the night sky," Ryoji says. "It exists for the purpose of Nyx's descent, as a beacon to guide her to the Earth. With the Appriser's coming, Nyx learns that the way has been prepared and descends there. As the Appriser, I usher Nyx into this world... and Tartarus welcomes her arrival. Thus, the demise, the Fall, shall come…"

"The tower exists for the purpose of Nyx's coming," Akihiko says. "That's why it's call the  **Tower of Demise**. So if we reach the top, we can fight Nyx?" Ryoji nods and looks down.

"Yes, but remember… From today, you will fight against eternal despair. Like I've said so many times before, Nyx cannot be defeated. When you face her, you finally will understand this truth." He looks up again.

"And then, you will realize what it is you are trying to stand against." Mitsuru nods.

"We understand," she says. "There is no need to keep telling us. January 31st… we won't forget that date." Ryoji nods to her, stands, and smiles at everyone.

"Well, I'll be going on ahead of you then. I want to leave you while I'm still in this form." Fuuka frowns.

"Ryoji-kun…" Ryoji turns to Aigis.

"Aigis… I'm sorry for all the pain and suffering I put you through." Aigis nods.

"I won't forget that you were my enemy," she says. "...And my friend." Yukari turns to her.

"Aigis…" Ryoji smiles.

"Thank you." Ryoji looks over everyone.

"This will probably be the last time I'll see you all like this. But… I'll always be watching over you." Ryoji heads for the door, opens it, and looks back at everyone.

"Best wishes in the coming year." Everyone is surprised.

"That's what you say on New Year's Eve, right?" He waves goodbye to everyone.

"See ya!" Ryoji walks out the door and it closes behind him. Junpei smiles.

"Heh, that Ryoji…" he chuckles. Mitsuru nods.

"We have one month until January 31st," she says. "Together, we'll reach the top."

2009 quietly draws to a close. It was a great year for Minato, filled with so many memories of his time with his friends and the love of his life. Whether 2010 will draw to a close like this one… that will be decided on the Promised Day.

**xxx**

It's the first morning of the New Year. Minato, Akihiko, and Koromaru are sitting in the lounge. Ken walks in with a smile on his face, looking towards Minato.

"Happy New Year, Senpai!" he exclaims. Minato turns to him and smiles.

"Hm? Oh, Happy New Year, Ken!" he exclaims.

"Happy New Year," Akihiko says.

"Let's make this year the best year ever!" Ken walks up to the table and looks to Akihiko. Koromaru runs up to him.

"It's New Year's, but there's nothing really special to do."

"Well, you can always wish people a New Year's greeting…" Akihiko says. "Like, "Have a great year!"" Ken nods.

"Yeah." He kneels down to pet Koromaru's head.

"Happy New Year to you too, Koro." Koromaru barks. Junpei walks into the room with his shoulders slumped and his head hanging.

"Oh man… I completely overslept." he groans. "Why'd I stay up all night watching that stupid movie…?" Junpei's energy suddenly comes back as he looks at the guys.

"Did you guys see it? It had these giant Amazon women running around in the jungle!"

"Why would I watch  **that**?" Akihiko asks.

"Um, is anyone gonna visit the shrine?" Ken asks. Akihiko and Junpei shake their heads.

"No. I don't believe in superstitions," Akihiko says.

"Me neither," Junpei says.

"I was actually hoping to do something with Yukari first," Minato says. Ken turns to Minato.

"Well, you'll have to go to the shrine then. Yukari-san and the girls are already there. They're all wearing kimonos." Minato slams his hands on the table and jumps out of his seat.

"YUKA'S WEARING A  **WHAT**?!" Junpei puts his hand on his chin and smiles.

" _ **Kimonos**_ , huh…?" he chuckles. He starts walking towards the front door.

"...Uh, I'm gonna run to the store-"

"Hold it right there, Junpei," Minato and Akihiko say in unison, with Minato's voice being louder. Junpei turns to them.

"Uhh, what?"

"You're going to the shrine, aren't you?" Akihiko asks. Junpei scratches his head.

"N-No, I'm not," he stutters. "I-I'm going for a walk-" Like a flash of lightning, Minato races over to Junpei and starts shaking him by the shoulders.

"Take me with you!" he yells. "Even Nyx can't stop me from seeing this!" Akihiko stands up.

"I'll go too. I'm bored."

"Oh, I'll go too," Ken says. Minato stops shaking Junpei, who smiles.

"Alright," he says.

"It's the same shrine we always go to, right?" Minato asks before rushing out the door. "C'mon! Let's go! Race you guys there!" Junpei laughs.

"What's gotten into him?"

**xxx**

The boys walks up the stairs to the shrine, where all sorts of booths have been set up. The place seems to be crowded.

"Wow. This place sure is crowded," Ken says. Minato starts scanning the area.

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Junpei says. "It's so packed in here. It might take forever to find-"

" _ **HOOOLY MOTHER!**_ " Everyone jumps at Minato's sudden explosive outburst.

"Whoa! What?! What's wrong?!" Akihiko asks. Everyone sees the shocked, red as a tomato, face of Minato and follow where his hand is pointing. They look to see the kimono clad girls walking towards them. Yukari, who is wearing flower hairpin and an orange floral kimono, smiles and waves to them.

" ** _Happy New Year~!_** " she shouts. " _Let's all do our very best this year!_  But  **man** , you guys are late." Junpei and Minato gaze at Yukari in awe.

" **Y-Yuka-tan** …" Yukari blushes.

"U-Uh, what?" Minato's smile slowly begins to show as he gazes at his lover.

"A-All of H-Heaven's beauty… in one seventeen year-old girl," Minato stutters. Yukari's face turns tomato red.

"Wha-?!  _Minato?!_ " Minato chuckles as he walks up and grabs both of Yukari's hands.

"I'm sorry. I can't help it. You seriously look goddess level gorgeous." Yukari snatches her hands away and covers her face, trying to hide her smile.

"H-Hey! Stop it! Everyone's right here!" Mitsuru steps forward as Junpei turns his gaze on her.

"Happy New Year!" she says. "Hm? What's the matter, Iori?"

" **Mitsuru-senpai** … you look **hot!** " Mitsuru blushes as he stutters.

"S-Stop staring at me…" she stutters. Fuuka steps forward as Junpei turns his gaze to her.

"Happy New Years, everyone," she says. "I've never worn a kimono before… Um, does my sash look okay?"

" **Fuuka** … you look…  **Wow**!" Fuuka blushes.

" _Geez_ …" Aigis steps forward as Junpei turns his gaze to her.

"This traditional clothing is quite interesting," she says. "However, it's difficult to move in…"

" **A-Ai-chan** … Considering what you usually wear, it look even **more** amazing on you!" Aigis smiles nervously.

"I-Is that so…?" Aigis puts her hand on her chest.

"What is this odd sensation I feel...?" Junpei looks to the sky, smiles, and nods.

"Ah… I'm so glad I came…" he says. "New Year's kicks ass! Yeah!"

"Junpei-san, why are you acting so strange?" Aigis asks. Minato shakes his fangasm trance over Yukari and smiles.

"Cuz he's an old perv who can't control himself," he says. Junpei doesn't seem to hear his insult.

"Man, we got to see some great stuff today," he says. "Right, Akihiko-senpai?"

"Uh… I-I guess so." Akihiko stutters.

"Hey, aren't you guys cold?" Ken asks the girls. Yukari rubs her left arm up and down.

"Hm, a little," she says. "But I  _love_  this time of year." Ken shakes his head and points his thumb at Junpei.

"Um, that not what I meant. Junpei-san said that you guys aren't wearing anything underneath your kimonos." The girls (besides Aigis) and Minato are all shocked.

"WHOA!" Minato shouts.

"HE SAID  **WHAT**?!" Fuuka yells.

"HUH?!" Junpei shouts in fear. Minato and Yukari glare at him. Usually, Minato would just let stuff like that slide, but Ken's too young to learn stuff like that. Plus, the last thing this group needs is another Stupei.

"Dear God, Junpei!" Minato shouts. "You said that to a little kid?!" Yukari rolls up the left sleeve of her kimono.

"Wow, you've really taken Ken-kun under your wing, huh?" Yukari says. Sensing that Junpei will try to escape, Minato looks to Akihiko as he and Yukari march towards him.

"Hey, Senpai. Can you hold him, please?" Akihiko blocks Junpei's escape route when he turns and tries to run.

"H-Hey, what the hell?!" Junpei shouts. He turns back back and sees the Mina x Yuka couple nod at each other and get ready to punch with mirroring arms. Junpei ways his hands in front of his face.

"Uh! Nononono! Wait, wait, wa-!" The couple punch him square in his face and he falls to the ground.

**xxx**

Minato and Yukari stand in front of the Takoyaki stand and place their order. Yukari turns back to glare at Junpei, who's rubbing his face from the dual punch he took.

"How could Stupei say something like that to a little kid?!" she shouts. "I can't believe him!"

"You seriously can't?" Minato says. "It's  **Stupei**! Of course he would!" Yukari shrugs.

"Yeah, I guess so." Yukari smiles as she looks around at the shrine.

"But you know, it's nice to do this sort of thing once in awhile."

"No one will be able to if, somehow, we screw this up." Yukari nods.

"No worries. We just gotta make a fresh start and and think positive." Minato receives their order.

"I know, I know. Junpei's "fresh start" is getting me worried, though." Minato sighs. Yukari laughs as he walks over to her with the takoyaki.

"Let's just do our best," she says. Minato nods and smiles at her.

"Hey… you know what this reminds me of?" He asks her. Yukari looks at Minato in surprise.

"Hey, I was just thinking the same thing!" she exclaims. "When we went to the Summer Festival here, right?" Minato nods. The couple  **did**  go to the Summer Festival together back when they weren't officially dating. Yukari was wearing a yukata back then and they went to the same takoyaki stand they just went to right now. Minato looks at Yukari from top to bottom.

"You still have the awesome figure you had back then too." he chuckles. Yukari blushes and giggles.

"And you're still as bold as you were back then," she says. "Hm... Thanks though." Minato picks up one bite of takoyaki by the toothpick and stops himself before he tries to feed it to Yukari.

"Oh, uh… feeding each other in public is out of the question, huh?" he says. Yukari close her eyes in thought, then smiles as she picks up a takoyaki bite.

"You know… I don't really care anymore," she says. "If people see, let 'em see." Minato is surprised.

_Wow… guess she's grown out of it_ , he thinks. Minato smiles as the two put their bites to each other's mouth, say "ahhh", and put their bites into their mouths. They giggle as they continue to feed each other.

"Oh, you already made your wish at the shrine, didn't you?" Minato says as he throws away the takoyaki container. Yukari shakes her head.

"Nope. I told the girls I wouldn't make my wish unless you were with me," she says. Minato smiles and holds her hand.

"Awesome. Let's go." The couple make their way over to the shrine to make their New Year's wish together.

**xxx**

After walking around the shrine a little longer, everyone decides to leave. They all walk down the stairs together.

"So, did you guys finish making your wishes?" Yukari asks the guys.

"Of course we did," Junpei says. "Oh, but ain't tellin' what I wished for. I heard your wish won't come true if you tell anyone!"

"Isn't that what they say about prophetic dreams?" Fuuka asks.

"Eh, it's not like it takes a rocket scientist to figure out what Junpei wished for."

"Hey, wait, wait! W-What's up with that? What, you think it's gonna be something like, "I wish to meet a hot babe," huh?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if it was," Minato says with a smirk.

"Well, shows what  **you two**  know! What I  **really** wished for is-"

"The same thing we all did, right?" Minato asks. "To prevent the Fall." Mitsuru smiles and nods.

"That's what I want as well," she says. "But it wasn't a plea for help. I know that we'll be victorious." Everyone nods.

"Yeah," Junpei says. "Hehe… Let's nip it in the bud."

"Uh huh," Fuuka says.

"Besides, don't you go for younger girls, anyway?" Yukari asks. Junpei blushes.

"WHAT?!"

" _Whoa_ , did I guess right? …  _Creepy~!_ " Minato smirks at Yukari.

"Oh, like  _you're_  one to talk," he says to her. "Or did you forget? I'm two months younger than you, you cougar." Yukari's face glows red and glares at Minato as she marches towards him.

"OKAY, WHOA! SAY THAT AGAIN! I DARE YOU!" Minato laughs as he runs around the group to get away from her. Koromaru is barking and running around with him, for some reason, and everyone laughs.

"Wait, Minato-kun," Fuuka says. "You're younger than Yukari-chan?" The couple stop their game of chase so that Minato can answer the question.

"Yeah," he says. "December 1st, 1992. Hers is on the same year. October 19th, so she's around two months older than me." Fuuka smiles.

"Oh! You and me are birth month partners, then. I'm December 22nd… That reminds me. We're not really familiar with each other's birthdays, are we?" Akihiko scratches his head.

"It's not like we had a good reason to," he says. Mitsuru smiles.

"Well, I don't see why we can't share such things now," she says. "We're all trusted comrades, after all. I'll start. My date of birth is May 8th, 1991."

"I won't leave Shinji out of this. His was August 11th. Mine is September 22nd. Both on the same year."

"Mine is June 24th, 1998," Ken says.

"The exact date of my creation is September 10th, 1999," Aigis says.

"January 16th, 1993," Junpei says with a smile. Koromaru starts whining.

"Uh… does Koro really count in this?" Minato asks.

"Koromaru-san says, "I don't know when I was born"," Aigis says. Yukari pets Koromaru.

"It's okay, boy. We all know you're still young." Koromaru barks and wags his tail.

"So in chronological order," Mitsuru says. "Me and Yukari are the eldest of both school years while Akihiko and Iori are the youngest." Minato smirks at Junpei.

"And Junpei's the youngest of the high school years!" he says. "He's the baby with the goatee!"

"Wha-?! The baby?!" Yukari bursts out laughing. She told that same joke at her and Minato's Birthday Party 4 2. Junpei turns to Aigis.

"Y-Yeah? Well, Ai-chan's the biggest baby here! She's even younger than Ken!"

"Is "goo goo ga ga" the proper response here?" Aigis asks. Everyone laughs. Junpei then smirks at Minato.

"Yo, Minato. You made a little side wish, didn't ya?" He asks.

"Huh?"

"Don't play dumb. And I bet I know what it was. " _I wish me and my precious Yuka Wooka are happy together forever and ever and ever!_   _Smooch smooch smooch **smooooooch~**!_ "" Minato gives him a narrow eyed look, then smiles at Yukari.

"Stupei, I don't do any of that creepy sappy mushy talk. But... I'd be lying if I said I didn't wish for that." Yukari giggles and gives him a blushed smile.

"Yeah... me too." After analyzing the situation, Aigis shoots her hand into the air.

"As they say, "Get a room, you two!"" Everyone laughs again, then Minato smiles as he looks at everyone around him.

"You know… sometimes I like to pretend that all of us are just one big family," he says. "Not just a small rag-tag team." Fuuka smiles.

"Hm. I get the same feeling sometimes too," she says. Minato chuckles.

"So… here we are. One month from now, we'll all be standing at the top of Tartarus fighting an unbeatable god to save the world. Heh, sounds crazy when it's said out loud." Everyone nods in agreement.

"I already know the answer," Minato says. "And I know it's too late to turn back, but… we're all seriously up for this, right?" Everyone answers "yes" in their own words. Yukari grabs Minato's hand.

"You know, I really like the idea of all of us being a family," she says. "Because just like family… we're all in this together." Everyone nods in agreement. Minato's phone suddenly starts ringing. He answers it.

"Hello?"

"Happy New Year. This is Elizabeth."

"Oh, Happy New Year to you too."

"I thought it would be best to inform you now: The last block level of Tartarus has been opened." Minato doesn't say anything.

"Your journey is reaching its end. Do not waste to time you have left and make sure you are prepared. Your fate is in the cards... and I pray that they are stacked in your favor."

"... Thanks." He hangs up the phone and keeps walking, looking around at everyone's smiling faces. The thought of him facing down an unstoppable goddess is scary on its own. However, that's when he remembers that he is not alone.

_We're in this together,_ he thinks.

With that, he confidently looks up towards the cloudy gray sky, fully prepared to face the end of the world… with everyone.

* * *

_**Chapter 10: End** _


	11. Judgement Day Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: The following chapter contains content that is rated M for "Mm Mm Mmmm!". The paragraphs containing such content are labeled with (XXXXX), so reader's discretion is advised. But hey! I won't tell if you won't! *winky winky*
> 
> Enjoy!

When the end is near, can you feel it? Can you feel the presence of death of slowly coming down on you? Does it feel the fear of the inevitability of it all paralyze? Or do you find a way to keep living? Do you experience every day at its fullest? And… do you know who you'd want to spend your final moments with?

**xxx**

For the past tension filled month, the S.E.E.S. club has been pulling double overtime in their runs through Tartarus, making amazing progress in clearing the way to the top. With each floor they conquer, their resolve to fight grows stronger. But at the same time, their fear grows as they draw closer to their battle with the maternal being and embodiment of death. The mother of all Shadows, Nyx. There is no possible way to cast fear aside at the thought of facing something akin to a god.

Minato, however, does not fear Nyx because he has never feared death. That has always been his greatest strength since it allows him to fight with no hesitation. Even so, fear fills his heart with every day that passes. The reason? It's not his own life he is concerned for. It's the lives of his friends and, most importantly, Yukari, the one he gave his heart to after she put it back together, that he worries for. No matter what it took, even his life, he has to protect them all.

**xxx**

It's January 30th, the day before the Promised Day, and lunchtime has just started at school. Minato rises from his desk, stretches his arms, and cracks his neck.

_Why the hell does my desk feel so uncomfortable today?_ he thinks. He feels someone tap his shoulder and turns around to see that it's Yukari.

"Oh. Hey, you," he says to her with a smile. Yukari giggles.

"Hey. So, you ready to go? I actually made us boxed lunches today." Yukari holds up the plastic bag containing the boxed lunches. Minato smiles then looks around for Junpei.

"Awesome! Let's just find the others and-"

"U-Um… actually… can it just be you and me this time?" Minato turns to Yukari, who seems to be blushing.

"Huh? Aren't you worried about people seeing us?" Minato asks. Yukari shakes her head.

"Nah. There's no point today, anyway," she says. "Besides, I got over that a long time ago. I just went along because I thought you were still embarrassed."

"What?! No! I was just doing it because I thought you… still… were." The couple stare at each other, then burst out laughing.

"Aha ha ha! It seriously took us til today to figure that?!" Yukari exclaims.

"We gotta be stupid or something, right?!" Yukari rushes to Minato's side and holds his hand.

"So, to the roof?" she asks. Minato nods.

"Yeah. Let's go." The two walk out of the classroom and head for the stairs. The students around them see them and begin to converse. Yukari sneaks her left arm around Minato's waist, causing more commotion. It takes him by surprise at first, then he chuckles.

"You really don't care anymore, do you?" Minato wraps his arm around Yukari's neck, letting it hang in front of her right shoulder. Yukari giggles.

"And neither do you, apparently." They laugh at each other as they walk up the stairs, ignoring the students staring at them.

**xxx**

At the roof, the Mina X Yuka couple are near the fence at the edge of the roof with no one else in sight. Minato unboxes the lunch Yukari made for him and smiles.

"He he he! There's nothing in this world I love more than my girlfriend's home cooking!" he exclaims with pride. Minato pokes Yukari's cheek.

"Oh wait! Yeah, there is! The beautiful girl who made it!" Yukari giggles and blushes as she rubs the top of his head.

"Awww! You're so cute when you say stuff like that." They both laugh and Minato breaks his chopsticks apart.

"Thanks for the food!" Minato starts chowing down on the rice first. His face lit up as he slowly chewed.

"Mm hm! Knew it!" Minato exclaims. "You're cooking is awesome!" Yukari blushed and scratched her head.

"C'mon! Stop it!"

"I'm dead serious! You blew my mind with the cake, and now this!" Yukari smiles.

"Oh, you liked it?!"

"Are you kidding me?! That's the world's biggest understatement! It blew my fudge cake way out of the water!" Yukari giggles and looks towards the city on the horizon.

"Ya know… when I first got into high school, I thought honestly I'd be spending most of my time with a boyfriend," she says. Minato looks at her in surprise.

"Oh really? Wait... doesn't that kinda not work with what you said about finding a way to live happily on your own?"

"We both know I'm not always honest about how I feel," Yukari laughs. "That's one of my many serious problems." Minato puts on a big smile.

"That's also one of the many reasons why you're my girl!" Yukari shoots a sultry smile at him.

" _Hey_... Did you just call me "your girl"?" Minato smirks at her.

"Yes. I. Did. Deal with it." Yukari chuckles as she leans in to kiss him on his cheek, then looks up at the sky.

"Anyway, yeah. To be honest... At first I really thought that some perfect guy would just swoop in and catch my eye. Then, I'd go chasing after him and hope he'd like me back." Yukari crosses her arms and groans.

"What I  **didn't**  expect was for every guy in the school to come chasing after me and act like total Grade A pervs." She hangs her head.

"I was really into that whole idea of… finding someone to care for and loving them with everything I've got… And even if I did lose that person someday, I wanted to be able to cherish that sadness too…" She shakes her head.

"No, I wanted to really cherish being with them to the point that I won't even have time to feel sad when they're gone. I mean, no matter how sad I'll be, my memories of being with them will never disappear. Them being gone doesn't suddenly make the happiness I felt when I was with them a lie." Minato nods, setting his food aside to focus on the conversation.

"Yeah. Of course not."

"To tell you the truth, I gave up looking for anyone like that during my years in high school." Yukari giggles as she pinches Minato's cheek.

"Ha ha! At least I did… til I found  **you**." Minato chuckles and Yukari blushes.

"Ya know, I… I-I'm really happy you're my first boyfriend," she says. Minato blushes, then looks away and scratches his head.

"U-Um… Aha ha… Hey, do you think maybe… I-I'll be your last? And… I dunno, maybe… something more?" Yukari blushes and laughs sheepishly, rubbing up and down her arm.

"Uh… D-Don't laugh, okay?" she mumbles. "I… I-I really hope so!"

_It's probably a bad idea to tell him about that cherry blossom wedding daydream you had that time during club practice_ , she thinks to herself. She sighs.

"Heh… I swore that I'd never get married a long time ago, but it's funny how my mind's suddenly changed. I never thought about stuff like that before. I didn't think it was possible for me to change that much." Yukari gently smiles as she looks down at Minato's hand.

"Sheesh, it's your fault I'm ending up like this. It's not so bad, though. I… I really love this new me. She's uh… a lot happier. E-Especially when, um… she's around you." Yukari's face turns pinker the more she talks.

"I-I didn't even know you this time last year. N-Now whenever I'm with you… my heart feels like it'll… burst out of my chest at any second. I-I… I feel really nervous and… r-really excited, but… overall…" She starts laughs nervously as the pink on her face is cranked to full brightness.

"Ahaha! I-I… f-feel… r-really happy… ya know?!" She lets out a loud whine, embarrassed about how much she's saying.

"Hngh! Come on, don't just sit there! You're making me all embarrassed, letting me say this stuff!" She turns and sees him covering his mouth and chuckling.

"H-Hey, wipe that Stupei grin off your face!"

**xxx**

Somewhere else… Junpei feels his pride get damaged and screams at the sky.

"Yuka-tan, stop using me as a category!"

**xxx**

Back at the roof, Minato shakes his head.

"S-Sorry, sorry," he says. "It's just… and you say I'm cute when I say stuff like that." At first, it looks like she's about to yell, but she laughs and gives him a playful shove.

"Aha ha ha… ha ha… Stupid." She sighs, like how a girl usually does when she's head over heels for a guy.

"You know, we never decided where we'd be going for that mountain trip, have we?" Minato asks.

"W-Well, it doesn't have to be the mountains. We could go to Destinyland… or… something…" Yukari suddenly falls silent. Minato turns to her and sees that she's frowning.

"Hey… what's wrong?" he asks. Yukari shakes her head.

"Oh, nothing. It's just… I just remembered that… this'll be the last school lunchtime we spend together." Minato wraps his arm around her.

"Whaddya mean "the last"? You make it sound like you think we'll mess up tomorrow." Yukari rubs her face.

"Hngh… I'm sorry. It's just all these people from that stupid cult talking about it! It's really started to get to me!" Yukari lets out a long, loud sigh. Minato stares at her with concern, then quickly rubs his right hand up and down her stomach, which she quickly swats away.

"Wah, hey! What're you doin'?" Minato notices her smile when he rubbed her stomach. He was never sure how sensitive she was until now. He has touched those parts of her, but was too busy with… other things at the time to notice. He nods.

"So, Yukari Takeba is ticklish… Good to know." He smiles mischievously as he vigorously rubs his hands up and down her torso. Yukari is unable to contain her laughter as he tickles her with no mercy.

"H-Ha. Ha ha. H-Hey! No! C-Cut that Ah… Ah… Aha ha ha ha!" Minato gets to the point where he starts having way too much fun and tickles her even faster.

"Ha ha ha ha! _COOoochie coochie-coochie-coochie-coochie-coochie!_ " Yukari pushes Minato's face away as she tries to escape.

"C-C'mon! Stop it! Please!" Minato finally stops his tickle assault and laughs as Yukari catches her breath.

"There. Feel better now?" Minato asks.

"Ha… Well, you did get my mind off things," Yukari sighs. Minato rubs her back.

"Don't worry about tomorrow, alright? We're gonna give it everything we've got and make it back in one piece." Yukari stares at him, smiles, and nods.

"Yeah, I know. Sorry." Minato places his hand on hers and squeezes it tight.

"And like we said before: No matter what happens, we'll be together, right?" Yukari giggles, then quickly slides closer to Minato and sighs as she gets snuggled in, resting her head on his shoulder. Minato rests his head on hers and closes his eyes.

"Still sucks that we don't have that much more time together til then," Yukari says. Minato's eyes pop open when he comes up with an idea. He slowly makes a mental blueprint for it.

"Hmm…" Yukari looks up at him.

"What's up?" Minato shakes his head.

"Nothing… I just remembered I have to ask Mitsuru-senpai something after school."

"Really? What is it?" Minato turns to his food and smiles.

"Later. Right now, can't let this five-star food go to waste!"

**xxx**

Minato had worked out his whole plan, but in order for it to work, he'll need Mitsuru's permission to set it into motion. He sends Yukari home straight after school, then meets Mitsuru outside the library where she usually is. Mitsuru seems to be lost in thought as she looks up at the ceiling and doesn't notice him walk up to her.

"Looking towards tomorrow?" he asks with a line he obviously borrowed from an anime. Mitsuru jumps, turns to him, and breathes a sigh of relief. Minato laughs.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you." Mitsuru shakes her head.

"It's quite alright, Arisato," she says. "Anyway, yes and no. I'm looking towards our final battle tomorrow, but also towards the years beyond. I know we can do this." Minato nods his head.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you need something?" Mitsuru asks him.

"Uh, yeah. Um…" Minato scratches his head.

"Well… seeing as tomorrow is our last day and all, of course I'd want to spend it with Yukari, but… I-I don't… really know if all of tomorrow will, um… How do I put this?" Mitsuru solves the puzzle of what Minato wants to ask her and smiles.

"If you and Yukari want to spend the night together," she says. "You'll have no objection from me." Minato is shocked by her answer.

"R-Really?! It's okay?!" Mitsuru nods.

"There is a strong chance that we will die tomorrow. I completely understand that you want to spend all the time you have with the one you love." Minato bows to his senpai.

"Thanks!"

"Just promise that you two won't make too much noise," Mitsuru laughs. Minato waves to her as he walks away.

"Heh! No problem!"

**xxx**

Minato calls Yukari from a train on it's way back to Iwatodai and tells him about his plan.

"A sleepover?!"

"Yeah. I got the okay from Mitsuru-senpai a few minutes ago," Minato says. "She just said we to be quiet about it. Ha ha ha… Or… do you not want to-"

"N-No, no! That's awesome that you got her permission," Yukari says. "I-I actually wanted to ask her myself, but I was too nervous to bring it up."

"I'm on the train ride back. You want me to stop by the store and get some snacks?"

"Uh huh! Bring something from the sweets shop too! Please?" Minato laughs.

"Alright. Get your stuff ready and I'll see ya in a couple!"

**xxx**

It's evening back at the dorm. Minato is waiting for Yukari in his room with his bag of treats. Nothing special. Just take-out from Wakatsu, two small bags of jumbo marshmallows, and some candy. He hears someone knocking at his door and goes to open it.

Minato smiles when he sees Yukari in her lounge wear carrying a pink bag at her side. He looks down the hall to make sure no one sees. Not to make sure they don't get in trouble, but to make sure Stupei doesn't see them and well… be Stupei. Minato, seeing that no one is coming, steps aside to let Yukari in.

"You'd better not start complaining about the treats being fattening," he says. "You have too awesome of a figure as it- Oomph!" Minato's sentence is cut off when he turns around and Yukari gives him a tight bear hug after setting her bag aside. Minato chuckles and hugs her back.

"Okay. What's this all about?" he asks her. She nuzzles her face into his chest.

"Nothing. I'm just so glad we're doing this," she says.

"Ya know, we could've just asked Senpai if we could do this for the whole month. We could've spent a lot more time together." Yukari lets go of Minato and holds his hands.

"Nah. Then it wouldn't be so special." Minato gives her a gentle smile.

_I love it when she gets like this **,**_ he thinks _. They loving side of her only I get to see._

**xxx**

The two talked the night away as they watched basic television and shared the marshmallows and candy. Yukari recalls something when she sees Minato's headphones.

"Oh yeah! I completely forgot!" she exclaims. Minato turns to her.

"What's up?"

"Well, uh… you know how you're always listening to music on your free time?" Minato puts his hand on his earphones.

"I know of it."

"I-I've been meaning to ask. What kind of music do you listen to?" The question seems to have taken Minato by surprise.

"Oh, well… I, uh…" Minato scratches his head in thought.

"Let's see… my type of music… uh… hmm…" Minato sighs.

"I'm gonna be honest: I don't really have a type. The music I listen to? It's just two versions of one song." Yukari is surprised.

"Wow, really? You never listen to anything else?" Minato shrugs.

"The song I listen really rings to me for some reason… Other songs don't ring like that one does, so I wasn't really interested." Yukari leans in closer to him.

"Wow… Can I hear it?" Minato scratches his head.

"I-I doubt it's the kind of music you'd normally listen to."

"Well, what's that song called?"

"Um… it's... Burn My Dread." Yukari's eyes widen and she gulps in surprise.

"Oh… uh… Ah ha ha… I never saw you as someone who's into… heavy metal," she laughs nervously. Minato rolls his eyes.

"No, it's not heavy metal. It **is** kinda dark, though." Yukari smiles.

"Still, I kinda wanna hear it, if you don't mind," she says.

"Which version? Remember, there's two."

"Do you have a favorite version?"

"Yeah. It's the, um… I-It's the rap version."

"Okay, cool. Lemme hear it." Minato puts the TV on mute and puts his right headphone in his right ear and his left earphone in Yukari's left ear. He grabs his portable Mp3 player and positions his thumb over the play button.

"Hey, you don't have sensitive ears, do you?" he asks. "I always have the volume on full blast." Yukari nods.

"I know. I can take it. Hit it." Minato is a little hesitant at first. With how dark this song sounds, though not very, it kinda worries him how Yukari will react when she hears it. Then, he remembers that she's the one person that he knows he can share anything and everything he has with her. He nods and smiles. He pushes the play button and watches Yukari's face for a reaction as the song plays.

Minato never took his eyes off Yukari's face and, to his surprise, she didn't feel disturbed by the song. In fact… she was actually bouncing her head to the beat halfway through the rapping section and even mouthing "Burn My Dread" when the words came up. The song goes on repeat for while, fifteen minutes to be exact. Minato let Yukari continue listening to the song. No matter how many times she heard the lyrics, she never started finding it repetitive, but started getting more and more into it. After his awe reaches a certain point, he shuts off the Mp3 player, which surprised Yukari.

"Uh, hey! I was still listening to that!" she exclaims. Minato bursts out laughing.

"Uh… what?"

"Ha ha ha ha ha! You are something else, you know that?!" he exclaims. "You listened to that song for eight minutes straight!" Yukari rubs the back of her neck.

"Really? Just eight minutes? I-It felt longer than that?" That only made Minato laugh even more.

"You really like it that much?" he asks. Yukari smiles.

"Yeah! Why haven't I heard this song before?!"

"It's one of those songs that no one really knows about. The ones that are completely off the radar." Yukari takes the left earphone out of her ear and Minato takes out the right one.

"Well, I love it! It's really catchy!" Minato smiles, then Yukari's pink… ahem, "jacket", catches his attention.

"Yes, I'm going there again… that is not a jacket," he says with a narrow eyed look. "That's lingerie." Side note: Minato's objected many, many times to Yukari's "jacket" being a jacket at all because, in his own words, there's no way a jacket would be this crazy sexy. Yukari jumps from her seat.

"Oh, for God's sake!" she groans. "Look, I don't mind if you don't think it's a jacket, but it's anything but lingerie! If it was, why would I wear it around the dorm and wear it when I'm walking around town?" Minato stands up.

"Maybe you didn't see the full sign on the store you bought it from. Tell me this: if it's not lingerie, why is it so form-fitting?" Yukari blushes as she takes a good look at her "jacket".

"Uh, i-it's not that-"

"What's up with fur trim?" Her face turns redder.

"I-I… That's… um…"

"Why doesn't it cover your shoulders?" Her face is a beet at this point.

"W-Well, not all clothes cover-" Minato walks behind Yukari.

"Look, I'm telling you: It's too sexy to be a jacket. In fact, it's so sexy, I can't stop myself from doing… THIS!" Minato tickles Yukari by her waist. She escapes and turns to glare at him.

"Ack! Hey! I swear I'll smack you if you try that again!" she exclaims. Minato throws his hands up and backs away. Sorry, honey. You're not getting away that easy, he thinks. He looks at the wall behind her and groans.

"Oh, are you kidding me?!" he exclaims. "I thought I got rid of those roaches weeks ago!" Yukari turns around in a haste.

"Roach?! Where?!" Minato smiles deviously as he grabs her from behind and falls with her onto his bed, tickling her mercilessly.

"W-Whoa! What the-?!"

"Can't get away this time! Welcome to Tickle Hell!" Yukari tries to to squirm out of Minato's grip, but Minato leaves her no opening.

"H-Hey, Mina… to…! Q-Quit it…! Ah… ah… aha ha ha ha!" Minato chuckles as Yukari burst out laughing.

_"Coochie-coochie-coo! Coochie-coochie-coochie-coo! Oooh!_  I wonder where your  **super**  tickle spot is!" Minato's hands start exploring Yukari's body, tickling it up and down.

"Is it  **here**?! Or  **here**?! Maybe  **here**  will drive you crazy! _Coochie-coo! Coochie-coochie-coochie-coo!_ " The couple roll around Minato's bed in a struggle. When Minato's fingers wiggle around her belly button, Yukari lets out a shriek, much to his content. He stops his tickle assault for a second and smiles mischievously.

" _Ohhhh? Look what I found~!_ " Yukari's heart trembles with fear as his hands close in on the center of her stomach.

"H-H-Hey, c'mon! Anywhere but there!"

"The more you tell me not to... the more I wanna do it...  _Coochie-coochie-coochie-coochie-coochie-coochie! OH, Coochie-coochie-coochie-coochie!_ " Yukari is completely at his mercy and unable to control the volume of her laughter as Minato tickles her naval mercilessly.

"Ha ha ha… U-Uncle! Uncle, uncle! C'mon, I can barely breathe! Please!" Minato decides she's had enough and lets her go. She takes a moment to catch her breath.

"You're…such a… little… kid…" she gasps.

"Well, what did you expect? I stopped being a little kid ten years ago. I didn't even finish." Yukari giggles and rolls herself on top of Minato. Minato suddenly starts feeling a bit of tension as she places her palms on his cheeks and stares at him with a sultry look in her eyes.

"That's good… cuz you're sooo cute when you act like that," she says in a sexy tone as she lowers herself in for a kiss. She pulls Minato up, allowing him to sit up, and wraps her arms around his neck as he wraps his arms around her waist to pull each other in closer. They break the kiss and allow their foreheads to touch.

"You can be a real vixen when you want to." Minato chuckles. Yukari leans back to pull Minato closer.

"Okay, so… for tonight, let's say you're right and my jacket is actually lingerie. That means…" Yukari leans in to sniff the side of Minato's hair and whisper in his ear before nibbling on it a bit.

"... You have to take it off for me…" Minato's chest tightens and his body trembles as he shuts his eyes and lets out a whimper. Her tease dealt a massive critical hit, like always.

"Hngh… Ugh… Low blow." he whines. Yukari chuckles as he gulps and takes a deep breath to calm himself. He then holds her closer and smiles mischievously.

"Total Tease Takeba… RIGHT to the very end!" Yukari shrieks and laughs as he rolls them both on the bed and laughs as he holds down her arms to pin her.

Minato tried to dive in and kiss her, but when he looks into her eyes, the mischievous intent he had completely disappears. The same thing happens to Yukari when she looks into his. The two refuse to move, refuse to escape each other's gaze, refuse to end the moment that went from devious and sexy to pure and romantic. Yukari gives Minato a gentle, innocent smile, with her eyes showing him how she felt about him. Minato uses his right hand to brush her short light brown hair back.

"Ya know... I fell for you cuz of who you are, but..." Minato says. "God, does it feel good for me to remember how beautiful you are." Yukari's cheeks turn light pink.

"Minato…" She giggles as she lightly pinches Minato's cheek with her left hand, then sneaks her right hand out of Minato's grip and wraps her arms around his neck.

"It's nice for me to remember how cute you are too." Minato smiles and she slowly pulls him down to kiss him.

**XXXXX**

Yukari has her eyes closed, taking deep breaths and trying her hardest not to move a millimeter, as she lays face up on Minato's bed and he moves around on top of her and kisses her all over her face and neck with them both completely in the buff, not a single moment wasted in taking in her special sweet flower scent. It was her taking the lead the first time they did this, but now that Minato's taking point, she's never felt so nervous. All of her fear has her completely paralyzed, with her body covered in sweat. The only thing she can do is stay still and let Minato do whatever he wants to her. Let him explore every single inch of her beautiful bare body. Let him take her, make her his, just like he did before.

She tenses up and whimpers as she feels him enter her body and her heart suddenly tighten up, like something was squeezing it, then relax. It was really intense, but unbelievably blissful at the same time.

"W-What's wrong?" Minato asks, stopping his motion. On Christmas Eve, what they did was on pure instinct. His hearing was cut off for some reason when they did this, so her whimper just now worried him. Yukari shakes her head.

"N-Nothing! I-I'm fine!" she stutters. Minato hesitates before continuing. Yukari takes a deep breath every time her heart tightens and relaxes in correspondence with Minato's movement. As the process carried on, her heart gradually began to tighten a little bit more, with a strong warmth filling her chest, and her body started to tremble. This feeling, she doesn't know what it is. All she knows that it's more than she's ever felt before… and she wants a lot more.

She instinctively wraps her arms around Minato's neck, pulling him in closer and kissing it. Minato suddenly starts moving faster, which made her heart tighten and relax and the warmth inside build up at a faster rate. Her lungs even started working weird, as if she's not getting enough air. Her deep breaths turn into brief separate gasps for air as Minato kept moving, his hands firmly grasping her soft ample breasts.

She grits her teeth and opens her eyes a bit, but she doesn't see anything. It's like her sight was cut off to enhance her feeling senses. Tears sneak out of her eyes as she shuts them again. Her chest suddenly tightens up and the warm feeling starts to burn. She lets out a big gasp to get more air after the feeling seemingly forced all she had out of her. Minato stops again, worried again.

"A-Are you okay?" Yukari nods, biting her lip.

"M-Mm hm! Mm hm!" Minato can't help but feel worried by that whine.

"Uh… s-should I stop?" Yukari shakes her head.

"Mm mm! Mm mm!" She takes a moment to catch her breath. That feeling just now was even more amazing. She doesn't care if she's being greedy. She wants all she can get. No… she wants all of it. Yukari manages to crack a little smile.

"D-Don't… stop," she whimpers. "M-More… please…!"

"You sure?" Yukari takes a couple more deep breaths before speaking.

"A-All… of it…! W-Want it…!" Minato blushes and gulps after pondering what she just said.

_I-I guess… I can't hold back then_ , he thinks. He shuts his eyes, takes his deepest breath in, and starts moving again. This time, he's giving it everything he's got.

Yukari's eyes pop open and widen, her body trembles more than it's suppose to, and she lets out a loud gasp, overwhelmed by the sudden blazing feeling that emerged in her heart from Minato's movements. The sounds that come out of her mouth now constantly switch between whimpers and gasps for air as the feeling continues to build more and more. The tears from her eyes pour down the side of her face as Minato's fierce movements continued, seemingly without end. It gets to the point when her heart is squeezed tighter than the world's tightest vice grip and her entire body was blazing up inside. It's so overwhelming that it feels like she could explode soon.

_M-Minato... O-Oh... Oh God...!_

Yukari shuts her eyes, wraps her arm around his back, clawing at it, and pulls him as deep as she can into a steaming hot kiss that seems unbreakable, allowing her tongue to enter his mouth and letting out muffled screams and gasps, as Minato tightly grips his bed sheets in his left hand and Yukari's hand in his right. His right hand squeezes her left hand so hard that it feels like it could break any second.

_O-O-Oh God...!_

More tears pour out of Yukari's eyes as the feeling builds and swells up inside like the world's biggest balloon ready to pop at any second.

_Oh... OH GOD! Mm... Mm! M-Mi... M-Minato...!_

Her eyes pop open and widen as wide as they can and she inhales as deep as she can as the feeling slowly reaches its climactic bursting point.

_M-Minato... Minato...!_

It builds and builds until, finally...

_MINATOOO!_

An uncontainable, unfathomable feeling erupts throughout her body. Yukari, with her lips still locked with Minato's, squeezes him as tight as she can and lets out her loudest muffled screams as the feeling explodes through her and causing her to spasm uncontrollably, feeling as though time just froze for that blazing hot, intense moment.

After a few moments of cool down time, the couple's lips finally disconnect and Yukari lies on the bed completely exhausted, as if all the energy was just sucked out of her. Weary eyed, she stares at her lover's sweaty face, his forehead resting on hers as he tries to catch his breath, and gently smiles as she places her left hand on his the side of his face and moves his bang aside to see both of his beautiful gray eyes.

"M-Mina... to..." she lightly whispers. Minato chuckles as he lowers himself down to kiss her. The last thing she sees before completely losing consciousness.

**xxx**

Yukari stirs for a moment, then slowly tries to open her eyes, though feeling really heavy. She can barely see anything, but she know she's laying face up, drenched in sweat, and looking towards the door. It's still night time.

"You awake?" Yukari slowly turns to her left and sees Minato snickering at her. She feels fatigue so extreme, she can't even talk right. She still tries to.

"Wuh uhh… Ugh nahh… wuh ha… Mmm…" Minato is able to understand what she's trying to say. He laughs before saying anything.

"What happened? Is that what you're trying to ask?" he chuckles. "Well, uh… you kinda… passed out after… that. Um… I-I mean, uh… Yeah, ya know what I'm trying to say!" Yukari's speech starts to be more clear.

"H-Haa… how… wun… in… ah…" Minato scratches his head.

"How long have you been out? Let's see… Uh, I'd say… about… an hour? Maybe two?" Yukari looks straight up at the ceiling and Minato laughs again.

"Was it really like that for you? I mean, I've heard a lot of things at school about how some girls who do this with their boyfriends sometimes feel things that they never felt before, and this, that, and the other, but… Man. You were out like a light."

Yukari ponders Minato's words. That extreme feeling she had an hour or two ago. It was way different from how it was on Christmas Eve. It even had her knocked out for a long time. After recovering from her fatigue, she starts to laugh.

"Ha… Ha ha… Aha ha ha! Yeah! Guess I was, huh?" she says. "Safe to say you've definitely gotten better." Minato laughs with her, then she turns to him, putting her hand on his chest.

"Hey… Let's do that again." Minato sits up.

"Seriously?! I dunno… I don't wanna make you pass out again."

"I don't mind passing out! It's totally worth it!" Yukari stretches her arms out to him.

"C'moon! Pleeease!" Minato lets out a deep sigh, not believing she's not even a little embarrassed to say that right now, then smiles as he positions himself back on top of her.

"One more time."

"Three!"

"Two."

"Deal!"

So much for pure and romantic...

**xxx**

It's early morning now and Yukari is alone in Minato's room, fast asleep. Minato quietly enters the room with a tray of food, wearing his usual weekend winter clothes minus the light gray jacket, and sets the tray on his desk. He kneels down next to Yukari and gives her a peck on her lips. She slowly wakes up and gives Minato a cute, blushed smile.

"Mornin'," he chuckles. "Whatcha smiling about?" Yukari sits up, covering herself with Minato's blanket, and moves a strand of her hair back as she lean closer to Minato.

"Of course your girl would smile when she wakes up and sees you, stupid," she says. "Her boy is sooo handsome, after all." She gives him a peck on his lips, then notices the breakfast platter on Minato's desk.

"Breakfast in bed? Really?" Minato shrugs.

"Eh, might as well. I mean this will our last morning, after all." Yukari shakes her head.

"No, it won't!" she giggles. "We'll beat the crap outta Nyx and have plenty more mornings together!" Minato pinches her cheek and smiles.

"See?! There ya go! That's more like it!" Yukari locates and puts on her bra and jacket as Minato hands her a plate from his desk. Minato proceeds to sit in his desk chair, but stops when he see Yukari's discarded black panties in the seat. He chuckles, picks them up, and shows them to Yukari.

"Uh… a skirt can only do so much without these." Side note: Yukari's miniskirt, black stockings, and heart choker were the only things he didn't take off. Yukari sets her plate aside.

"Well, don't just wave 'em around! Gimme!" Yukari exclaims. Minato hands her her panties and she puts them on under the sheets. She puts the plate back in her lap and examines the meal before her.

"Let's see. Pancakes, bacon, eggs, and… wait, is this…?" Yukari recognizes the large slice of chocolate cake on her plate. It's a slice of the cake she made for Minato's for Christmas Eve (and his birthday).

"Yeah, every time I thought about just devouring the whole thing, I started feeling bad," Minato says. "Then I realized it's cuz it wouldn't be fair to not let you have a slice too." Yukari giggles.

"Aww… Thanks." Yukari slices off a piece of cake with her fork and puts in her mouth. She stares at the cake, then at Minato with a narrow eyed look. Minato leans back a bit in fear.

"W-What?"

"You liar!" Yukari pouts. "You said my cake blew yours out of the water! Your cake tasted way better than this!" Minato shakes his head.

"Wha-?! I-I wasn't lying! It really did blow it out of the water!"

"Then, why does your cake taste better to me?!" Minato shrugs.

"I dunno. Maybe it's because I made it for you? That's probably the same for me." Yukari thinks about it and smile.

"Okay, yeah. That makes sense." They both laugh, then Yukari looks down at her plate in deep thought. Minato notices.

"Something on your mind?" Yukari looks up at him.

"Hey, let me ask you something," she says. "Do you remember when you… started wanting me?" Minato raises one eyebrow.

"Wanting you to do what?"

"No, not wanting me to do something. Wanting me." Minato starts blushing.

"Uh… C-Can you be a little more specific?"

"When did you start having feelings for me?" Minato sighs in relief.

"Oh, that. I thought you meant in a Stupei sense."

**xxx**

_In his room, Junpei jolts awake, feeling his pride take a hit, and screams._

_"Stop using me as a category!" He falls back to sleep._

**xxx**

Back in his room, Minato scratches his head in thought.

"Um… let's see… I… I think it was… back at the hospital?" Yukari is surprised.

"Really?! That far back?!"

"W-Well, I wasn't really sure back then, but… I think I figured it out… at Yakushima." Yukari giggles.

"Hm… So you too, huh?" she says.

"Wait… is that when you started feeling for me?" Yukari nods and looks up at the ceiling.

"Yeah… I could never forget."

Yukari and Minato both flash back to that night in Yakushima. It was after everyone watched the doctored video of Yukari's father and Minato chased after Yukari after she ran out.

**xxx**

Minato was jogging through the wilderness towards the shore, looking for Yukari. He stopped and scanned the area.

"Yukari?! You out there?!" No response. He looked toward the shore and saw Yukari beyond the trees, standing alone near the water. He started walking toward her.

At the shore, Yukari looked up at the starry sky above her, shaken up after everything she just learned and not caring about the tears running down her face.

"I-I believed in him for so long," she mumbled. "This is too much…" She suddenly heard the sound of footsteps in the sand coming towards her. She turned to see Minato approaching her.

"Oh… M-Minato." She rubbed the tears off her face.

"W-What're you doing here?" she asked.

"It's almost the Dark Hour," he told her. "You shouldn't be all the way out here by yourself."

"Hmph... you came all the way out here just to tell me that?" Minato scratches his head.

"Well... no." Yukari turned back to the shore and looked out beyond the vast sea as Minato walked to her side. He turned to her.

"You alright?" he asked. Yukari sighed, shook her head, and turned to him.

"Hey… remember what I told you back at the hospital?" she asked. "How my dad died when I was little…? You understand now, right…? He died in that incident…" She looked back at the sea.

"Nobody knew the truth… so there were all sorts of rumors. Because he was in charge of the research team, people were really mean to me and my mom. We even had to move a few times." So, you were tossed around too, Minato thought, remembering how he was tossed around by foster care.

"That must have been hard for you," he said in sympathy. Yukari nodded.

"Yeah, it was… But all this time… I kept telling myself, over and over and over again, that it wasn't his fault. I loved him a lot… and I believed he'd never do anything wrong." Yukari sadly smiled.

"I received a letter back in the spring. A little while before you came along. It was from him, a time capsule letter written ten years ago when the Moonlight Bridge opened up." She laughed a little.

"It cracked me up cuz even though it said "To my family", it was pretty much all about me… That only made believe in him more." She looked at the palm of her right hand.

"When I found out I had a special power, I thought it was fate. More than anything, I was scared, but I thought if I cooperated with the Kirijo Group, I might find out what really happened. That's why I agreed to fight using my Persona…" She balled her hand into a fist, sighed, and looked up at the sky again with a tearful smile.

"But… after everything I've done, it turns out… all of that was for nothing…" Minato shook his head.

"C'mon, that's not true," he said. "Not when you came this far for him." Yukari turned to him and gave him a light push on his arm.

"Ha ha, you're just trying to make me feel better," she said. Minato wanted to object, but he stopped himself. Yukari went back to looking at the sky.

"Why does reality have to be so harsh…? I tried… so hard to fight my fear, and this is what I get." Yukari frowned and looked down at the ground.

"Maybe… maybe I'm just jealous of Mitsuru-senpai. I mean… why my father and not hers? Haha… I'm a horrible person, aren't I?" Minato glared at her.

"That's a bald-faced lie!" he yelled at her, unable to control himself after hearing her call herself a horrible person. "You're not-!" He stopped himself, balled up his hands, looked down at the ground, then looked back up at her.

"Y-You're… you're a wonderful person… You're caring, with a kind heart. You're just in pain right now and that's fine… Just… don't… don't think that about yourself…"

Minato couldn't help but speak his mind. When Yukari told him she and him were the same, it felt like someone was truly reaching out to him. She's his very first friend and best friend he's had in his entire life. He couldn't let her talk down about herself like that.

Yukari turned to Minato with a smile and a narrow eyed glare.

"Hmph! Well, you're just Mr. Perfect, aren't you?!" she laughed. Minato stepped back as Yukari slowly marched towards him one step at a time.

"Huh?"

"You heard me! Mr. Top of the class! Mr. Kendo Team Ace! Mr. Student Council! Mr. S.E.E.S. field leader! Ha, you don't even flinch when there's a chance you're gonna die!" She looked down at the ground and balls her hands into fists.

"Nothing ever fazes you… And now you've got the nerve to just stand there and try to tell me how to feel?!" Yukari glared at him again, grabbed him by his collar, and pulled his face to hers.

"You think you know me?!" she screamed. "Well, you don't! Stop acting like you have all the answers! You don't have a heart! You don't know anything!"

Yukari shoved him away and turned her back to him. Minato, still shaken up by her words, tried to reach out to her, but he stopped himself again. He really doesn't have any right to try and cheer her up. He's never been affected by anything that's been going on. Who's he to to try to make people feel better when he doesn't really feel anything? He sighed and looked at the ground.

"You… Y-You're right… I-I'm… I-I'm sorry…" Yukari, noticing the tremble in his voice, turned back to him. Her eyes widened when she saw the pained look on his face. She just called him heartless straight to his face when he was clearly worried about her and was only trying to help her. She reached out to him, shaking her head and looking like she was about to cry.

"M-Minato… N-No, I-I'm sorry. I… I-I didn't mean to…" She pulled her hand back when Minato shut his eyes. She buried her face in her hands and started to sob.

"I'm sorry! M-My… my head's just a big mess right now! I'm so scared and sad and anger and… and lost! I-I… I just don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do anymore!" She dropped to her knees, continuing to cry.

"M-Mi… Minato… please… tell me… what should I do?" Minato opened his eyes and saw Yukari crying on the ground. She just asked him what she was supposed to do now. He rubbed the back of his neck in thought, trying to think of something that would help in this situation and trying to find the right words to say it. After finally finding something, he took a deep breath and crouched down to her.

"Hey… your father… Do you… Do you still love him?" he asked. She had no problem nodding to that question.

"I-I… I wouldn't be hurting this much if I didn't!" Minato takes a deep breath.

"Then… maybe just… keep believing in him?" Yukari slowly uncovered her face to look at him.

"H-Huh?" Minato gulped before explaining.

"None of this is really over yet," he said. "So… we don't really know if we know the whole story. I mean, maybe… there's more to it than that? I don't really know. You're right when I say I don't have all the answers." Minato slowly put his hand on her shoulder.

"But… until we know for sure… I think… you should just hold onto that hope you have towards your father. There might more to what you know about what happened. How you'll find that out… that's beyond me." Minato looked down at the ground.

"It's okay not to know what to do sometimes… but…" He looked intently at Yukari.

"Never stop believing in the people you love." Yukari's eyes widened at the wisdom Minato just gave to her. She completely stopped crying.

"Never stop… believing?" she mumbled. Minato nodded, then rubbed the back of his neck.

"T-That's only what I think, though," he confessed. "I don't know if it'll really help, but…" Yukari slowly stood up and rubbed the tears from her eyes, taking deep breaths as she did so. When she finally pulled herself together, she gave Minato a gentle smile with her red, swollen eyes.

"Y-Ya know… you… you really are one-of-a-kind," she stuttered. Minato stood up as she rubbed her eyes again.

"I-I'm sorry for acting like this… and for yelling at you and calling you heartless… Honestly, I think you're the only one who could've helped me right now. I mean… you've lost your parents too." Yukari took a deep breath.

"I think… I'm alright now… I'm used to dealing with stressful situations. Anyway… thanks for listening." Minato nodded. Yukari walked up to him with a smirk on her face.

"Lemme guess… Senpai asked you to bring me back, right?" she asked. He crossed his arms and shrugged.

"Well, yeah." Yukari sighed.

"Hm. Knew it-"

"That's not why I came, though."

"Huh?" Minato scratched his head and blushed.

"I-I came cuz I wanted to. I couldn't just leave you alone when you're hurting." Yukari smiled and pinched his cheek, not noticing the bold blush on her cheeks.

" _Ooooh_ , you're such a gentleman!" she teased. Minato's heart skipped a beat, his face glowed a radiant pink, and he quickly smacked her hand away and rubbed his cheek.

"Hngh! N-Nyah, hey, don't do that!" You can still tease, even after you just cried your eyes out? he thought as he put his hand over his heart and sighed. Yukari giggled at him.

"Thanks." Minato stared at her as she rubbed her eyes again, knowing she's still a little shook up. He and her were the same, broken up and left all alone in the world. Now that he's found her, he wants to do everything he can to melt away that loneliness, just like she did for him. His heart pounded at the thought.

Minato took a deep breath as he slowly stepped toward Yukari. Yukari blushed to see how close he was to her.

"U-Um…" Minato closed his eyes as he slowly wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in close for a hug, feeling her entire body trembling. Yukari's eyes widened and her body completely froze as he embraced her tightly. Minato, smelling the scent of sweet flowers, whispers in her ear.

"You're… not… alone…" Yukari's breathing started to heavy. Then, she managed to calm herself and she slowly started to close her eyes and hug Minato back. Just as the comforting warmth and smell of each other's bodies started to take them away…

"HEY!" The two, hearing Junpei calling out to them and rushing through the forest, let out a brief scream, quickly pushed each other away, and turned away from each other before he arrived.

"NOTHING!" they screamed.

"Huh?" Junpei said as he tried catch his breath.

"Nothing! We were doing nothing," Minato said. "Just talking. Right?" Yukari quickly nodded. Junpei scratched his head in confusion.

"O-kay? So, hey… everybody's… waiting… It's almost… the Dark Hour, so you should get back." Yukari snapped out of her embarrassed trance and looked at Junpei.

"Huh? Oh yeah, that's right…" Minato and Yukari looked at each other briefly, then turned away blushing. Junpei saw this.

"Hm? Um… did I miss something-" The two glared at him.

"SHUT IT, STUPEI!" they both yelled.

"Yeesh! Hold your fire, will ya?!"

**xxx**

Minato looks up at the ceiling with a narrow eyed look.

"Stupei, ace defective?" he says. "How about Stupei, mood destructive?" Yukari laughs, then smiles at Minato.

"Yeah… that was definitely when it started happening for me," she says. "What you told me that night… Best advice I've ever heard." Minato raised one eyebrow.

"Really? I-I honestly came up with that straight on the fly." Yukari giggles and looks down.

"That's what made it so amazing. That's the one night I don't wanna forget." Minato notices the frown on Yukari's face.

"What's wrong?"

"Uh… speaking of forgetting things… there's something you should know." Yukari looks to Minato.

"When we defeat Nyx, we'll finally get rid of the Dark Hour," she says. "But, think about it. Ryoji said if the Dark Hour vanishes, our memories of it would disappear, right?" Minato jumps up from his chair, realizing what she's about to say.

"Wait… A-Are saying that when we erase the Dark Hour, we…" Yukari nods.

"Might forget everything. Yeah." Minato's eyes widen. He told Ryoji that he didn't want to lose his memories of the Dark Hour and his friends, and he meant it. But now, in order to stop the Fall, he'll have to give up all of those memories, including the important ones with Yukari. He shakes his head.

"N-No way! There's no way in hell I'm gonna forget!" he yelled. "I can't!" Yukari hurries out of bed and grabs Minato's right hand.

"Hey, calm down! I said "might", didn't I?" she says. She looks at Minato's hand as she squeezes it.

"I want you to be the first one I say this to…" Yukari closes her eyes as she places Minato's palm on her face.

"Minato… so much has happened between you and me. There were a lot of really great times, and a few bad ones… the bad ones being my fault. But… not matter what happened, you never left my side. Before I knew it, I always wanted to be by yours. I… I don't think I could ever be this close to anyone else. So…" Yukari stares directly into Minato's eyes.

"I want you to know… I won't forget you. After this is all over, I'll still remember you. Even if we lose our memories of the Dark Hour, I'll still be right here with you. No matter what happens…" Yukari gives Minato her warmest smile.

"I promise… I'll still be over the moon in love with you. And after tonight… I'll say "I love you" every single day for as long as I live… til you know just how much." Minato's eyes widen.

"Yuka…" He smiles and pulls into a hug.

"Yeah… I won't forget you either. There's no way for me to just forget about the girl who means the world to me. Whatever happens… you'll still be in my heart… always." Yukari squeezes him tightly around his waist.

**xxx**

The hours have flown by… and evening has come. It's time for the S.E.E.S. Club's final team meeting. Minato and Yukari arrive at the fourth floor, hand in hand, and walk towards the command room. They stop in front of the door. Minato turns to Yukari.

"Hey, um… can I get a preview?" Minato asks. Yukari turns to him.

"Hm?"

"A preview of you saying… that everyday?" Yukari smiles and wraps her arms around his neck.

"Only if you give me yours too." Minato smiles, wraps his arms around her waist, and stares into her eyes. Yukari takes a deep breath and returns the looks right back as he presses his forehead against hers.

"Minato… I love you."

"Yeah… I love you too, Yuka." They pull each other into the last kiss they've have before the final battle with one thought in Minato's head.

_She still smells like sweet flowers..._

* * *

**Chapter 11: End  
**


	12. For You

The corrupted full moon of the Dark Hour is brighter than it has ever been and the air feels as cold as it is charged. An intense pressure slowly falls from the sky. That is the sense of impending destruction looming ever closer.

It is now the Dark Hour of the Promised Day, the day all life is destined to end. With great fear, but also great resolve, in their hearts, the S.E.E.S. Club members, Minato, Yukari, Junpei, Aigis, Fuuka, Akihiko, Mitsuru, Ken, and Koromaru fight their way to the top of Tower of Demise, where the mother of all Shadows and she who bestows Death, Nyx, will descend to destroy the world. They've already won against the remaining members of Strega, Jin and his leader, Takaya. All that is ahead of them now is the place of Nyx's advent, Tartarus's peak: The Summit of Demise.

**xxx**

As the team run through the corridor leading to the roof of Tartarus, a torrent of thoughts rush through Minato's mind. Thoughts of all the time he's spent with Yukari and everyone else, thoughts about the bright future he wants to have with them, and the thought of what will happen if they fall tonight.

_I can't lose here!_ he thinks.  _I_ _ **won't**_ _! We're going to win this, no matter what!_

Everyone slides to stop before they run over the edge as they exit the corridor, a thick shroud of dark gray clouds in front of them. Minato, Yukari, and Junpei look over the edge to look down and see the gray clouds concealing what's below as well. Junpei's eyes widen and he gulps.

"Damn… Can't even see the bottom," he says.

"Do you  **want**  to?!" Yukari asks. Junpei shakes his head.

"N-Nah… That'll just freak me out even more." Minato nods, then feels a familiar dreadful presence coming down from the overhead. He sprints up the path to the left spiraling up to the top with the others following behind him. He makes a sharp left up the final staircase, then jumps when he reaches the top.

He stands at the edge of an empty platform with tall pillars with crow statues on top, dispersing black feathers into the air, lined along the edges. The gray clouds surrounding the area hide anything beyond the horizon. The rest of the group arrives and looks around as Minato looks up at the moon, which seems to have returned to its normal color.

"We've finally reached the top," Mitsuru mumbles. Minato grits his teeth and glares at the invisible force that distorts the moon. Yukari walks to Minato's side, notices his glare, and looks up at the moon.

"Hey, look at the sky!" she yelled. "The moon's… warped…?!" Everyone looks up at the distorted moon. Minato suddenly growls and grips the hilt of his sword, feeling the dreadful presence drawing closer.

"Something's coming!" Fuuka yells.

"Is it Nyx?!" Akihiko asks. Fuuka nods.

"I can sense it even without my Persona… This is the first that's ever happened." Everyone readies their weapons and brace themselves.

Minato: "... It's here."

From the distortion of the moon, the menacing creature they've come to face takes a ghastly form. A large humanoid form covered in black crow feathers with large tail feathers and two large pairs of crow wings on its waist. It wears black armor that hangs from its upper body, black gauntlets on its hands, a black crown on its head, and wields a redundantly large sword in its right hand. A network of veins pulsing with blue light spread throughout it's body.

The group's eyes widen and Minato and Yukari instinctively hold hands as the creature widens its dreadful smile and it descends to the peak of the tower to meet them.

When it lands, everyone seems to recognize the creature's pale face and swept back hair. Aigis steps forward, knowing the face of that person more than anybody.

"You're…" Minato grunts at the sight of its face.

"Ryoji…"

"Huh?! Ryoji-kun…?!" Yukari gasps. The creature, who seems to be Appriser of Death and their friend, Ryoji, nods at them.

" _ **That was my name for a time…**_ " he says. " _ **I didn't mind it.**_ " Mitsuru steps forward.

"What's going on?" she asks. "Wait, are you…?"

" ** _I am merely a harbinger of the Fall…_** " Ryoji says. " _ **Though it would be more correct to say… that is what I once was. There is no longer any distinction between Nyx and myself. We are now one in the same.**_ "

_He didn't mind being called Ryoji,_  Minato thinks.  _That's who he once was… Maybe this is his true hidden nature._

Akihiko steps forward with determination in his eyes.

"Is that so…? Well, regardless, I don't regret my decision," he says. "I'll defeat you, no matter what you are!"

" _ **I see… Then you must already know.l,**_ " Ryoji, or Nyx, says. " _ **What people fear most… what they try to ignore… That is what I am.**_ " Ken steps forward.

"We know that already," he says.

"Yeah… everyone does," Akihiko says.

"It is the one certainty for all living things," Mitsuru says. "You are what awaits them from the moment they are born." Nyx nods.

" _ **Then you must also understand that it is futile to resist… Yet here you are, still intending to face me. Why? There must be trembling in your hearts…**_ " Junpei steps forward.

"Yeah, of course I'm scared!" Junpei yells. "But who cares about that right now?! There's no use carrying on about it! I got too much to live for!" Yukari squeezes Minato's hand and glares at Nyx.

"I'm tired of running and I'm not gonna live in fear anymore!" she yells. "Being really alive means not turning away from death! It means staring it square in the face and refusing to blink! So, I won't back down, not even from you!" Aigis glares at Nyx.

"I will stop you, even if it costs me my life," she says. "I do this of my own choice!" Minato marches to the front of the group, shooting an intense glare at Nyx.

"For the longest time," he says. "I've never cared about my own life. When and how I died, I never gave a damn about that. I honestly started to think that I didn't have a life at all. And even now, I still don't." Minato shuts his eyes.

"I  **am**  scared… but it's not cuz I'm scared to die. I don't care if I die. I stopped being scared of that a long time ago…" He glares at Nyx again.

"But the lives of the people I love and care about?! That's a whole different story! I don't breath for anyone except for the people I believe in! They give me the will to keep moving forward and the strength and courage to fight against anything that threatens us!" He points his sword at her.

"My friends: They're my power, my life, my reason to live! So I don't give a damn what you are! If it means I can protect them, I'll flat out crush you!" Minato's friends take a step forward in agreement. Nyx's smile widens as she nods.

" _ **I see…**_ " Nyx wrap her wings around herself.

" _ **Then come to me… Minato…**_ " The wings flap open, spread black feathers everywhere and sending out a powerful gust of wind. Everyone shields their eyes from the gust, then glares back at the maternal being.

"Do not hold back, even for a moment!" Mitsuru orders. "This is our final battle! We can't afford to lose!"

A nostalgic feeling rushes over Minato as the black feathers in the air fall to the ground and he closes his eyes. It feels like how he felt on the first night he summoned his Persona. His heart raced, sweat ran down his face, and his breathing was heavy. Then, he smiles just like he did on that night, revealing that he's not scared of death. In fact… he welcomed it.

When the last feather touches the ground, Minato glares at Nyx and roars as he dashes toward her, ready for the grand battle with Death.

**_(Author's Note: This battle is WAY too long to fit into one chapter, so let's just get to what happens after, eh?)_ **

Everyone stands tall as the glare at the maternal being who has collapsed on the ground, motionless.

"Did… did we do it?" Mitsuru asks. Yukari's notices Minato's growling, as if he knows something's wrong. At that moment, Nyx's body slowly floats into the air, ascending towards the moon.

" _ **Such a pity,**_ " she says. " _ **You understand fate, yet you still fight against it with all of your will… If more people were like you, then perhaps the Fall could have been prevented… But it is too late now.**_ " Nyx raises her head.

" _ **The time has come for all to end.**_ "

Suddenly, the moon above her starts cracking apart. The pieces slowly drift apart and reveal something that seems to be its core, with something resembling a red eye looking down on the earth. Everyone is paralyzed in shock at the sight as the structure draws slowly closer.

"Th-The moon…!" Fuuka stutters.

"Wh-What is that?!" Yukari shouts. Minato's growl gets louder as a ray of light shoots out of Nyx's crown and into the moon to pull it down.

"Ryoji-kun is being swallowed up by the moon!" Fuuka shouts. "Wait… no, that's it! I-Is the moon getting closer?!"

"Wait just a second here…" Akihiko says. "Is the moon itself Nyx?!" Aigis stares at Nyx's celestial body as it slowly descends.

"Soon… soon it will descend upon us… upon us all…"

**xxx**

In the streets of Iwatodai, people are suddenly being dragged out of their Transmogrify coffins and a panic quickly ensues as they catch the sight of Tartarus and the descending moon. Nyx cult believers are slowly gathering together to witness the coming of their "savior".

"Look at the moon! It's glorious!"

"It's just as the prophecy foretold!"

"The end of the world! Ha ha! It's really here! Everything they said was true!" The chaos riles up as Shadows start emerge from people's bodies and turn them into members of The Lost.

**xxx**

Back at Tartarus' peak, everyone hears the pandemonium coming from the city below.

"Wait… is everyone being dragged out of their coffins?!" Yukari shouts.

"Sounds like all hell just broke loose down there!" Junpei shouts. Minato continues to glare at the Nyx, knowing exactly how the end of the world will work.

"The moon… It's a giant Shadow," he mumbles. "It'll hit the earth… and turn everyone into the Lost all at once!" Everyone stares at the descending moon.

"At… last…" The turn behind them when they hear a familiar voice. It's Takaya, who's come crawling from the stairs. Minato growls at him.

"Takaya..."

"You…!" Ken shouts. He lays back and laughs as he gazes at the moon.

"How marvelous!" he shouts! "I cannot believe the moment has finally arrived!" He smiles at group glaring at him.

"Vexing, isn't it? The look on your face is priceless!"

"Shut up…!" Akihiko hisses. Yukari looks to her friends.

"But, what're we gonna do?!" she asks. "If the moon is really Nyx, how're we supposed to fight something like that?!"

"Yukari, calm down!" Minato shouts. "There's a way! We just have to find it!"

"What the hell are we supposed to find?! A spaceship?!" Junpei shouts. Fuuka senses something in the sky.

"Something's coming from the moon!" she shouts. Everyone turns back and looks up at the moon.

Suddenly, an invisible force comes blasting out of it and hits Earth. Everyone feels something pushing them down to the ground and try to resist it.

"Ugh… what… the hell…?!" Minato grunts.

"W-What… what is this?!" Ken shouts. "I-It feels like something's… crushing me!" Another blast comes from the moon, increasing the strength of the invisible force. Yukari continues glaring at it, resisting with everything she's got.

"Ngh! This… this is… nothing…!" she grunts. Takaya continues to laugh at the group's efforts as another blast goes off.

"H-How ridiculous," he stutters. "Are you out of your mind?"

"Shuddup… you bastard!" Junpei shouts.

"Death is imminent… Surely you know this… Why continue to struggle…? What more do you hope to accomplish now…?"

"You don't know… anything!" Minato hisses. "This… is far from over!" Another blast goes off, forcing everyone to kneel. Aigis sees Minato drop and shuts her eyes.

"I… will never give up!" she shouts. "Never!" She initiates Orgia Mode to unleash her full power and fight back against the force. Takaya gazes at the moon and smiles.

"I wanted to see the end with my own eyes… Everything… will disappear… Jin…" He lays back as he slowly loses consciousness.

Everyone begins to fight their way out of their kneeling position.

" _ **Why…?**_ " Nyx asks. " _ **Why resist that which is inevitable? What good will it do to rise up?**_ " Everyone glares at the humanoid body of Nyx.

" _ **You will only suffer… Give in…**_ " Everyone puts all their strength into pushing themselves up.

"Nuh-uh… Dammit… I'm not backing down!" Junpei shouts.

"This isn't over… til my heart stops beating!" Minato shouts.

"I've made up my mind!" Yukari shouts. "I'm in this to the end!" Everyone roars as the push themselves back to standing on two feet.

Just when they think the force is dying down, however, a charged blast hits themselves, increasing the crushing force tenfold! Ken screams as he falls hard on the ground. Akihiko reaches out to him.

"K-Ken!" His legs give out and Koromaru whines as they both fall hard on the ground. Fuuka is the next to go.

"Son of a… Dammit!" Junpei shouts before falling. Aigis' Orgia Mode burns out and she falls.

"W-We've come this far…" Mitsuru grunts. "I refuse… to submit!" Her words are in vain, however, when she falls. Minato and Yukari are the only ones left. Minato is stabilized at knee position and Yukari teetering on the brink of falling.

"W-We… can do this!" Minato grunts. "I-I… know… we… can!" He suddenly hears Yukari screaming and he slightly turns his head to see her pinned to the ground by the force. He is shocked even further to see that all of the his friends have fallen. He's the only one left. He sees Yukari reaching out to him.

"M-Mi… Mi… Mina… to…! AGH!" The force pins her down again. Minato looks down at the ground and shuts his eyes, getting his usual vision of death. Determination builds in his body, willing him to force his way back to his feet. His body is crying out in agony. His brain starts feeling fuzzy and his internal organs feel like their being sheared apart. He starts hacking up blood, but still refuses to stop fighting back.

" _ **It's useless…**_ " Nyx says.

"S-Shut up…!" Minato gasps. He slowly starts to rise with the pain in his body increasing as he does. Everyone sees his drive to keep fighting.

" _ **Eternity awaits…**_ "

"S-Shut up!" He rises even more and his body starts to burn.

" _ **All shall perish…**_ "

"Shut up! I… I-I…" He slowly lifts his head and glares at Nyx.

"I-I swore… to protect… everyone!" He reaches the point where he can stand without support from his hands. A concentrated blast hits Minato, bringing even more force down on him… but he doesn't budge. He breathes heavily, gasping for breath, and ball up his hands.

"K-Kill me… if you want… but… you won't… take… my… friends…!" Everyone is awestruck by Minato's iron will, even under the force of so much power.

"M-Minato… san…" Aigis stutters. The ground starts to crack under Minato's feet as he slowly straightens his stance, with his body burning even more. He grits his teeth, with blood leaking out between them.

"My friends… I won't… let them die!" Ken and Fuuka reach out to Minato.

"Minato-kun!" "Minato-senpai!" Craters form under Minato's feet as he straightens his stance even more.

"I won't let them… die!" Junpei, Mitsuru, and Akihiko reach out to him.

"Arisato!" "Minato!" The crater become deeper as he nears the point of a solid stance.

"I won't let them die!" Yukari's eyes widen at his endurance.

He lets out an explosive wail as his stance finally straighten, even under all this force… but it is sadly short lived. When another concentrated blast hits him, his knees suddenly give out without his permission. His eyes widen and time seems to slow as he plummets forward.

"Uh… uh… H-H-Huh?"

He crashes into the ground with so much force that it creates a crater around his body and cracks spread across the platform. All of his bones shatter like glass, his body starts to grow cold, and warm blood starts leaking out everywhere. It's like he fell from the top of the world when his body was as heavy as a megaton weight… yet somehow he was still barely conscious.

Everyone's eyes widen in horror at the sight of Minato's body. He was doing so well in fight back the force, but now he's succumb in the worst way possible. Yukari, wanting to rush to his side and help him, screams and tries to push herself up. The resolve Minato showed and Yukari's will to help him turn into inspiration for the team as they start fighting back. Even though they know they aren't making any progress, they still try to move.

Yukari continues to fight, not caring about defeating Nyx, but about making sure she's by Minato's side.

"M-Mina… to!" Minato, with his sliver of consciousness slipping away, see his lover trying to fight and he whispers her name before fading completely.

"Yu… ka…"

**xxx**

When he regains consciousness, Minato sees a familiar black and white tile floor as he is pulled towards a very familiar door. The door opens and he is blinded by the light he is pulled towards. When his vision returns, he is to see that he is sitting in his usual chair of the Velvet Room.

"What…? The Velvet Room?" he mumbles to himself. He then remembers the extreme impact of when his body gave into the force of the moon. He jumps from his chair looking towards Igor and Elizabeth, panicked by the fact that he doesn't know what's happening to Yukari and everyone else.

"W-Wait! Don't tell me I…!" Igor shakes his head.

"There's no need to worry," he says. "This isn't the afterlife… you're still alive." Minato breathes a brief sigh of relief.

"Okay… What about my friends? And Yuka, is she still…?" Elizabeth opens the Persona Compendium and shows Minato an image on its pages. It show everyone still trying to fight against the force pinning them down.

"They still continue to fight," she says. "However… it will be in vain. But don't worry. You are here now to receive the power to change that." Elizabeth's smile puts Minato at ease and he slowly sits back down in his chair.

"The power?" he mumbles. Igor nods.

"Do you remember what I once told you?" he asks. "How the strength of your Social Links will determine your potential?" Igor puts his hand to his ear.

"Listen… can you hear the many voices?" Minato is confused.

"Voices?" he repeats. He quickly comes to the deduction that this is one of those things you really need to concentrate on. He closes his eyes and tries to pick up what Igor is talking about.

"Each one's power is limited… Yet, they all reach out to you… Can you hear them?" At first, Minato doesn't hear or feel anything out of the ordinary. Then, he catches a few faint tugs in his heart.

"Yeah… Yeah, I… I think I sense them," he mumbles.

"Listen carefully… Their voices may be faint, but certainly you hear them…" As Minato goes into deep concentration, a mysterious mass of energy is gathering above him. As the mass grows, he feels the powerful emotions of his friends and loved ones flow into his heart like a torrent. First, the people he knew outside of school. Then, the people he know inside of school. And last, his allies and friends of S.E.E.S in order: Koromaru, Ken, the late Shinjiro, Mitsuru, Akihiko, Fuuka, Junpei, Aigis, and finally… Yukari.

"Can you hear them?" Igor asks. Minato slowly rises from his chair.

"Yeah… I hear them… all of them…"

"These are the voices of hope that wish to help you…" Igor smiles at the energy mass as it floats down to Minato. Elizabeth's eyes widen in amazement.

"Separately, they are weak… But together, they will bring about a great change in you…" As if he already knew what to do, Minato reaches his hand out to catch the energy.

"Now is the time for you to take their hands. Now is the time for you to unite them as one. Now is the time for you to draw on the true strength of the bonds you have forged!" Minato's will condenses the energy in his hands as he recalls the words he preached to Nyx.

_I don't breath for anyone except for the people I believe in! They give me the will to keep moving forward and the strength and courage to fight against anything that threatens us! My friends: They're my power, my life, my reason to live!_

Minato nods.

"It's true… it's all true," he mumbles. "I don't have my own power. I don't have my own life. None of what I have is my own." The energy glows radiantly as it continues to condense.

"My friends are my power… my friends are my life… all of what I have…!" The energy shines even brighter.

"Is all of theirs as one!" The energy explodes, filling the room with light. When it dies down, Minato is covered in a white radiance, with his eyes still closed, and there is a glowing tarot card floating in his hands. Its raw power courses through his entire body like a river. The Arcana of this card… he knows it's unlike any other.

Elizabeth's eyes glitter and widen in pure awe as she covers her mouth with both hands.

"O-Oh my!" she gasps.

"I never dreamed of seeing that card with my own eyes…" Igor chuckles. "This is indeed a surprise!" Igor reaches his hand out to the card in Minato's hand.

"Behold! The last power you and I shall unveil! It is the power to bring about a new beginning, or the ultimate end." Igor nods as returns his hand to its normal position.

"It may be possible now, with this newfound power… You may bay able to defeat the one who cannot be defeated. What you have in your hands is the power of the True Arcana, The Universe.  **Nothing**  is outside the realm of possibility for you now."

The card breaks apart like glass and the fragments surge into Minato's heart, just like the other Arcanas. Even though he feel nothing now, he knows that the unlimited power is there.

An image rushes through Minato's minds. A sea of stars, a darkness shrouded hand reaching out to an enormous open gate, and a hand covered in crow feather offering it to it. Very quickly, he knows what it means… and what he has to do.

"We will soon reach your destination," Elizabeth says.

"It seems the in addition to Death, fate has also dealt you the wild card," Igor says. "You must accept your destiny. Our contract has been fulfilled… I have completed my role as well. You were truly a remarkable guest." Igor and Elizabeth suddenly start to fade away, along with everything in the Velvet Room, and Minato feels the elevator slowing to a stop. Elizabeth smiles at him.

"You have finally found your answer to life," she says. "Go forth, Minato Arisato, and fulfill the role you've made for yourself. Protect your reason to live. And remember... Even if you are all alone in the dark..." Everything finally disappears completely and her voice echoes through the empty room.

"You will never truly be alone again."

The clock on the elevator door stops at twelve and the elevator has come to a complete stop as well. Minato takes a long deep breath, opens his eyes, which now glow light blue, and marches forward into the light as the door opens.

"This fate… I embrace it gladly."

**xxx**

Back at Tartarus' peak, everyone is still trying to fight against the intense blasts of force coming from the moon with all they have. Yukari grunts as she tries to maintain her crawling position.

_I can't give up_ , she thinks.  _I_ _ **won't**_ _give up!_

She suddenly hears Aigis gasping.

"M-Minato-san?!" Yukari stops, turns her head, and her eyes widen to see Minato wrapped in a mysterious light, healed of the wounds of his fall, and standing tall with his ultimate Persona, Messiah, standing behind him, as if he's become unaffected by the force of the moon. Everyone else is as shocked as she is.

"M-Minato… you're alright?!" Junpei asks. Minato turns and slowly walks to Yukari.

"Y-Your wounds…" she stutters. "A-And… h-how… can you move?!" Minato crouches down to her, places his left hand on her right hand and his right on her cheek, gives her a gentle smile, and pulls her in for a long passionate kiss. He then puts both his hands on her shoulders and looks to everyone else. He closes his eyes and sighs.

"Don't worry," he says with a slight echo. "I'll protect… all of you." He stands and turns to his Persona.

"Take me to her... Messiah." Messiah slowly nods as Minato walks past him and to the edge of the roof, looking up at the moon as he does so. Messiah spreads his wings and kneels down behind his master as he drops his sword and Evoker.

"W-What… what're you… doing?" Yukari stutters. Minato turns her heard to her.

"... Yuka..." A gentle gust of wind brushes his bang aside to reveal one of his glowing light blue eyes as he gives her his warmest smile.

"... _**Live on...**_ "

The painful squeeze on her heart from his words. Whatever he was implying... it filled Yukari with dread.

Messiah wraps his arms, wings, and coffin lid cape around Minato and he starts to slowly float off the ground and towards the moon with him in tow, leaving a trail of light behind him. Mitsuru and Akihiko's eyes widen at a thought of what Minato is trying to do.

"A-Arisato," Mitsuru stutters. "Y-You're not going to…!"

"M-Minato…! Wait!" Akihiko shouts. "A-Are you gonna go alone?!" Everyone turns to Akihiko, then back at Minato, who floats higher into the sky. Everyone is struck in the heart with fear: He's going off to face Nyx alone!

Everyone rushes to get to their feet and stop him, but the force is too great for them. Yukari just watches him in fear, knowing that there's almost no chance he'll come back.

_N-No… No way… Why?!_

Fuuka, Aigis, and Ken frantically call out to him.

"M-Minato-kun!"

"N-No! Don't go!"

"Senpai, wait!" Junpei is focusing on getting to his feet as fast as he can.

"D-Dammit!" he curses. "W-Why the hell can't we stand up?!" Koromaru lets out a howl. Tears start falling from Yukari's face.

_W-Why… after all we've been through?!_

"A-Arisato, please stop!" Mitsuru yells. "You don't even know if you'll be able to come back!" Minato doesn't respond. He just keeps his eyes on his destination as Messiah keeps taking him higher and higher towards the moon.

Unable to watch the love of her life march towards certain doom and backed by her unyielding desire to stop him, Yukari overcomes the force of the moon enough to stand. She limps forward, shaking her head and reaching out to him.

"W-Wait… please!" she cries out. "M-Minato… we've been through too much together! W-Wait!" Minato doesn't even look back. Yukari stops, quickly pulls out her Evoker, and puts it to her head.

"I said, wait, you idiot!" She summons Isis and sends her chasing after Messiah and Minato into the night sky. She casts Garudyne above them so that the two will be forced back down to the ground, but Messiah's power is so great that it doesn't affect him at all.

_Dammit!_ Yukari thinks.  _This can't be_   _happening again! I can't lose_ _ **you**_ _too!_

She tries again and again and again to force him back down, but to no avail. Yukari becomes unable to keep Isis around and she disappears. Yukari is forced to take a knee and she continues to reach her hand to the sky and call out to him.

"Please! Stop! Don't do this! Come back!" Minato smiles, knowing how much Yukari doesn't want him to go. He felt the exact same way… but his desire to protect her no matter what is stronger. He lets out a deep sigh and closes his eyes.

_Don't worry... It'll all be okay._

The light around him and Messiah shines as bright as a star and they ascend into the sky like a comet. Realizing that it's too late, Yukari gasps, watching him fly into the moon and disappear, and slowly shakes her head.

"N-No… No…!" With her loudest heartful scream, she cries out to her beloved one last time.

" _ **MI-NA-TOOOOOOOO!!!**_ "

**xxx**

In the sea of stars above the world, Messiah slowly disappear in a swarm of what is similar to white fireflies and surges into Minato, making his light glow brighter, as he flew through the powerful pool of force and straight into the moon, straight into Nyx. A while after entry, his flight speed begins to slow to a stop and he sees a large sphere of light in his path. In an instant, he knew: This is Nyx's true form.

He slowly descended below it and landed in the black plane of nothingness. The entire area had no light other the light that shined off of Nyx and Minato. Minato stares at the being before with his hands in his pockets.

"So… the light at the end of the tunnel people see when the die," he says. "That's  **you** , huh?" A dreadful silence fills the air. Minato sighs and chuckles.

" _Geez_... I'm gonna have to break  _ **so many**_  promises 'cause of you. Well… because of the people who don't know how great it is to be alive. But, you get it." He scratches the back of his head and closes his eyes.

"Ya know… there are a lot of people who've lost meaning in their lives… but that doesn't mean  **everyone**  has. You don't have to listen to some people when most still want to live." He sighs and looks at Nyx with a pained look on his face.

"You sure you're not gonna just... go away?" Nyx's light shines brighter, revealing the web of gray tendrils around her. Minato sadly smiles.

"Thought so…" He takes a moment to stretch out.

"Aw well! Either way is fine with me… I still get what I want." He takes a deep breath, then glares at Nyx.

"Let's do this."

He puts out his hand and concentrates on gathering power. The black tendrils around Nyx gather little red orbs of energy below her into one orb, then drop it. When it touches the ground, it releases a devastating explosion the blows Minato away. He lands on his feet, but the blast broke his concentration, dimmed his light, and siphoned off almost all of his life force. Minato gasps for air as he tries to recover.

"Ugh… ugh… okay, that was pretty bad…" He glares at Nyx.

"But, I'm not done!" He tries to concentrates again. Nyx gather energy again and drops another bomb to the floor. Once again, it blows Minato away, breaking his concentration, dimming his light even more, and making him fall flat on his face, but he manages to hang onto the sliver of life force he has left. He gasp for air again.

_Damn! She's not giving me enough time!_  As soon as Minato got to his feet, another blast had gone off, blowing him away again and dimming his light further. He still hangs onto the life force he has left, but the situation is dire.

At this rate, he won't be able to defeat her!

**xxx**

Back at Tartarus' peak, the force of the moon has stopped blasting down on the group. Yukari is on her knees crying, clutching Minato's Evoker in her hand, while everyone else is looking up at the moon.

"What happened?!" Ken asks. "That force just… stopped!"

"Nyx is probably too busy dealing with Minato," Mitsuru grunts. The situation is so dire that no one notices her calling Minato by his first name. Junpei turns to Fuuka.

"Hey Fuuka, can you see what's goin' on up there?!" he asks.

"I-I don't know, but if it means knowing if he's okay, I can try!" Fuuka quickly summons Juno and tries to see if Minato is still alive. She gasps when she gets a severely faint reading from him.

"Fuuka-san, what's wrong?!" Aigis shouts.

"N-No… M-Minato-kun… A-At this rate… He's not gonna make it!" Everyone looks up at the moon, worried about their brave comrade.

**xxx**

Minato is on the ground, struggling to hold his own against Nyx's relentless assault.

"Ugh… ugh… I-I'm not… giving up…" Suddenly, he feels a strong tug on his heart. It's similar to the faint ones he felt in the Velvet Room. He laughs.

"Idiot… of course…" Instead of focusing on gathering energy, Minato focuses on hearing the voice of the people who want to help him. He closes his eyes and sees a bird's eye view image of everyone at Tartarus' peak looking up at him, or the moon to be more precise. He can hear them clearly.

"No way! There's nothing we can do?!" Ken shouts. Akihiko grunts, pulls out his Evoker, and points it at the moon. Everyone looks to him.

"Don't give up!" he shouts. "We have to believe in him!" Ken nods and mimics him.

"Yeah! And let him know we do!" Mitsuru nods and joins them.

"Give him strength!" she shouts. "Minato… take my life, if you must!" Orbs of light containing their individual Arcana, Justice, Emperor, and Empress, are shot out of their Evokers and towards the moon.

Minato opens his eyes and puts his hand out. From the darkness above, the orbs of light from Ken, Akihiko, and Mitsuru fall into his hand. He crushes them and a rush of energy courses through his body and his light regains some brightness. He manages to get to a knee before another blast goes off. It blows him away again, but he's able to land on his feet. He closes his eyes to see his friends again.

Yukari rubs her eyes, quickly gets to her feet, and points her Evoker at the moon.

"Y-Yeah… Yeah! I'm willing to risk mine too!" she shouts. Fuuka dismisses Juno and mimics her.

"He's going to face it all by himself!" she shouts. Junpei joins them.

"No! He's  **not**  alone!" he screams. "I won't let him die!" Like before, orbs of light containing the Arcana, Lovers, Priestesse, and Magician, are shot from their Evokers.

Minato opens his eyes and catches them in his hand to crush them. Another rush of energy courses through him and his light brightens again. He's able to stand up now and instead of completely blowing him away, Nyx's blast only pushes him back. He focuses on his friends again.

Koromaru howls at the moon and Aigis reaches her hand out.

"I won't allow this world to be destroyed!" she shouts. Suddenly, an image of Shinjiro appears behind the group. He smiles and reaches his hand out.

"Alright," he says. "Let's do this." Orbs of light are shot from Koromaru's mouth and Aigis and Shinjiro's hands, containing Strength, Chariot, and Hierophant.

Minato open his eyes and catches them in his hand to crush them. Another rush of energy courses through his body and his light becomes even brighter.

Nyx has stopped firing and is now beginning to use her tendrils to attack. Minato dashes to his right at mach speed to dodges her attacks. When a couple tendrils are about to hit him, he gathers energy in his hands, throws energy punches at them, turns the energy into something resembling an bludgeon, and bashes them away with a spin attack.

Tendrils home in on him from every direction. He changes the energy's shape from a bludgeon to a naginata and spins it around him to deflect them. He sticks it into the ground and pool spin kicks the rest of them away, then dashes forward to dodge and pole vaults high into the air.

The energy turns into a two-handed sword as Minato dives down towards a large tendril and splits it down the middle. He turns it into a dagger and quickly slashes away the single tendrils that try to pierce him, then turns it into a rapier and he strikes a rapid thrust attack at a group of approaching tendrils.

Minato turns to Nyx as she shoots a showers of tendrils at him. He shoots the energy at them in rapid fire like that of a machine gun. The destroyed tendrils turn into a gigantic one that plummets towards him. He jumps back, turning the energy into a bow and arrow, aims at the tendril, and fires to pierce it straight through and destroy it.

Minato sees that Nyx is charging for another blast. He closes his eyes, reabsorbs the energy, and reaches his hand out to her, focusing again on his friends. More specifically, Yukari. Yukari is clenching her heart with her left hand as she continues to hold out her Evoker with tears still flooding from her eyes.

"Minato," she says. "You said… that your friends are what give you your strength to fight… and you're reason to live." She holds her Evoker to her face and shuts her eyes.

"But… I didn't find my power on my own. You helped me find it. S-So really… my power's been yours from the start." Nyx drops her energy orb and the blast is set off. Yukari starts crying out to Minato.

"Now, go ahead, Minato! Take it! Take back all of the power you gave me! Take my whole damn life if you need to! J-Just… please…!" Minato easily blocks the blast with his bare hand. The sleeve of his uniform jacket start burning away.

"JUST SWEAR THAT YOU'LL COME BAAACK!"

That one heartful cry echoes loudly through his mind as he slowly opens his eyes.

"... Yuka..."

Minato, with a wave of his hand, blows the blast away. He glares at Nyx, then looks at his right wrist to stare at the cell phone strap that Yukari gave him and he repurposed as a bracelet.

He smiles, kisses the toy figurine, then focuses on gathering energy. It builds up at a much faster pace than before. When he reaches full capacity, he looks up, picturing the faces of Yukari and all of his friends smiling above him, and shoots up his right hand to point at them.

"... I lived how I'll die..." As another blast goes off and his radiance slowly grows brighter and fills the area to counter it, he lets out a whisper.

"... For you."

Back at Tartarus, everyone sees the moon start to shine radiantly. Yukari reaches out to it, worried about her lover.

"Minato?!" The light becomes so bright that it forces everyone to shield their eyes.

**xxx**

When their vision returns, the group finds themselves standing in a vast sea of stars.

"Where are we…?" Yukari asks.

"Did Nyx create this place?" Mitsuru asks. "Or… was it him?" Yukari gasps when she remembers what just happened.

"Minato!" Akihiko turns to Fuuka.

"Is he alright, Fuuka?!" he asks. "What happened?!" Fuuka hangs her head.

"Everything was… engulfed by that bright light," she mumbles. "I… I don't sense him." Everyone turns to her with looks of worry. Ken grits his teeth.

"Don't… Don't tell me he…" he mumbles. Koromaru whimpers. Junpei shakes his his head.

"No! That  **can't**  be!" he yells. "C'mon, try it again! He can't be the only one!" Yukari slowly walks towards Fuuka, with tears forming in her eyes, and puts her hands on her shoulders.

"F-Fu… F-F-Fuuka? T-Tell me he's okay… Please tell me he's still…" Fuuka concentrates… but she receives no sign. She frowns at Yukari.

"Y-Yukari-chan… I…" She shuts her eyes and slowly shakes her head.

"I-I'm… I am...  **so**  sorry…" Yukari's eyes widen and she covers her mouth, not believing Fuuka's words. Minato is... gone?

Everyone hangs their head.

"Y-You've gotta be kidding me…" Junpei mumbles. Akihiko shuts his eyes and punches himself in the chest.

"Dammit… Not again…!"

"We… We all decided to put our lives on the line," Mitsuru mumbles. "In fact, we came here knowing we would most likely die…" Tears drops from her eyes as she grits her teeth.

"B-But… but still…" Aigis has a pained look on her face.

"How… could I be so powerless?" she mumbles. "This… is what I was trying to prevent…" Among everyone's mourning, Junpei shakes his head, steps forwards, and starts shouting at the black nothingness.

"Minato, you dumb ass! Quit screwin' around! How long are you gonna keep us waiting?!" Everyone is shocked by his desperate attempt to get a sign that Minato is out there somewhere. Fuuka is the next to step up.

"Minato-kun, please come back! We're all waiting for you!" Ken steps up next.

"If you're lost, just follow the sound of our voices! We'll help you get back!" Koromaru howls as Akihiko steps up.

"C'mon, Minato! I know it'll take a lot more than this to take you down!" Mitsuru rubs her eyes and steps forward.

"We all believe in you! You have never let us down before! Don't you dare start now!" Aigis steps up.

"We're here! Please let us hear your voice!" Yukari shuts her eyes and balls her hands into fist, then glares at the nothingness above her and starts crying out.

"You're there, aren't you?! I know you are! I refuse to believe that you're gone! Please, answer me! I know you can hear me! Send me a sign! Anything! Just…" She takes a couple deep breaths before screaming out one more time.

"Please tell me you're okay, MINATO!" Her voices echoes through the vast space for a while, then dies down. Everyone patiently waits for any kind of sign that Minato is still alive. Suddenly, an unclear whispering voice echoes around them. After a few moments, it dies down and a clear voice comes from above.

"... What… the hell… happened?"

Everyone gasps. That voice… it was Minato! Tears of joy run down Yukari's face as she puts her hand over her heart and everyone breathes a sigh of relief. Then, another familiar voice echoes.

"Don't worry…" Everyone looks up, recognizing Ryoji's voice.

"I will sleep once again," he says. "Normal days will return to the universe for you… and for him. He's found the answer to life's greatest question. It just happened a bit sooner than it will for the rest of you."

"Life's greatest question…" Aigis repeats.

"Aigis… You will find the answer one day as well. You, too, are a precious living thing… You just need to realize how the bonds of friendship have changed you…"

"The bonds… of friendship…" Aigis repeats.

"The Dark Hour will soon vanish from this world… All will truly be relinquished from its dominion, and the legacy of life will continue… Congratulations, you have the miracle you sought… We shall meet again someday…"

**xxx**

The black nothing surrounding them disappears and the group find themselves at the school gate right in front of Tartarus. A tower bell chimes as the ground starts to quake and the Tower of Demise starts to crumble and disappear into the night sky. Once it completely disappears, the moon returns to its original glowing white color and the Gekkou High buildings return… this time, for good.

Yukari and Mitsuru let out a sigh.

"At last… the school's finally gonna be back to normal," Yukari says.

"Yes… it's all over," Mitsuru says. The group can't hide the triumphant smile on their faces, knowing that they finally accomplished their goal. Aigis looks towards the front of the school and gasps.

"Ah… Look! It's… Minato-san!" Everyone looks to the familiar shadow that Aigis is pointing at and their smiles grow even bigger.

"He… H-He came back…" Yukari mumbles. Everyone runs towards Minato with joy, with Yukari trailing behind at walking speed.

**xxx**

Minato is standing at the top of the stairs with his hands in his pocket and his eyes closed, thinking about what happened before he came back.

During Tartarus' destruction, Minato was sitting on a velvet blue sofa in a black nothing, facing Ryoji, who was sitting on the sofa parallel to him. Minato smiled at him.

"You see?" Minato said. "I told you we didn't know if Nyx being unstoppable can be changed… and it was." Ryoji glares at Minato.

"Do you really think you should be celebrating?!" he shouted. "You… you just…" Ryoji hangs his head in sorrow, knowing exactly what Minato has done. That last skill he used on Nyx, the Great Seal… it required him to give up all of his life force. Every last bit of it... which means his time in this world is over. Minato nods.

"Don't worry. I know." He laughed as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Ha ha… Kinda sucks, though. I was really looking forward to some stuff." Ryoji gritted his teeth.

"Minato… I'm sorry," he mumbled. Minato stood up, walked over to him, sat by his side, put a hand on his shoulder, and shook his head.

"Hey, it's okay. It's not your fault… and I don't regret a thing. After all…" Minato closed his eyes.

"I can at least keep two more promises."

Upon obtaining the Universe Arcana, Minato learned the truth about how Nyx is brought to Earth. In order to protect this world from the Fall, he has turned his entire life essence into a powerful seal that will separate it from her. For the next month while his consciousness is slipping into the seal, he plans on using the bonds with his friends to create some borrowed time and stay bound to the mortal plain until the day when everyone will remember each other and meet up again: Graduation Day on March 5th. Once everyone is together again with their memories intact, he'll just let go and become the seal completely, therefore protecting everyone for all eternity... which is all he ever wanted.

Ryoji looked at Minato with worry.

"But do you really think you can last that long?" he asked him. "One whole month! That's a long time to hang on for." Minato shook his head.

"No. I don't think," he said. "I  **know**. Cuz out of all the promises I've just broken…" He put a fist to his heart with pride.

"These two… I intend to keep… no matter what." Ryoji stared at him and nodded. Minato looked down to the ground.

"Hey, Ryoji? I… I wanna say thank you… for giving me this path of life. Sure, it was short and full of a lot of pain, but… the friends I've made… the memories I've gained… the feelings I've felt… they all made it worth. If I had to choose my own life path…" He closed his eyes and smiled.

"I'd chose this one without a second thought." He opened his eyes and stepped back, knowing that Ryoji is starting to disappear. Ryoji closed his eyes.

"When a person finds their Answer to Life... when they find something irreplaceable... something they want to protect, even if it means giving up everything they have... they earn the right to perform a miracle. The power to make the impossible possible... Looks like  **you're**  one of those people." Ryoji pauses before speaking again.

"Minato… this isn't a wish," he said. "It's a fact." He opened his eyes and smiled at Minato.

"Somehow… we'll meet again someday." Minato nodded as Ryoji completely disappeared into the black nothing.

"Yeah… Count on it."

**xxx**

Minato lets out a sigh and smiles, remembering the words Junpei and Mitsuru spoke at the last S.E.E.S. meeting.

_Then no matter what happens, let's promise to meet each other again!_

_And when we meet again… we should remember how we're feeling right now: That no matter what may happen, we will never look back._

Minato nods, then he hears footsteps and the familiar voices of his friends coming towards him.

"Minato!" Minato opens his eyes, seeing their teary-eyed smiling faces as they dash towards him. He starts walking down the stairs, waves to the them, and smiles.

"Yo."

""Yo" yourself, you dumb ass!" Junpei shouts. He, Fuuka, and Ken rush up to embrace him, with Fuuka squeezing his right arm, Junpei wrapping his arm around his neck, and Ken hugging him in front.

"M-Minato-kun…" Fuuka sobs. "Thank goodness…"

"You sure took your time!" Junpei sobs. "You were really stringing us along there! Honestly…!"

"You scared me!" Ken shouts. "I-I thought we might not ever see you again!" Akihiko and Mitsuru walk up and put their hands on Minato's shoulders, rubbing their eyes.

"Guys, come on…" Akihiko sniffs. "T-This isn't something we should be crying about."

"Look who's talking!" Ken laughs.

"F-Finally… the gang's all here," Mitsuru sobs. Koromaru barks twice and everyone jumps out of the way as he pounces Minato to the ground and starts licking him.

"Ack! K-Koro, c'mon! Cut it out!" Everyone laughs as Koromaru lets him up. He then lays on his lap and whimpers as Minato pets him. Aigis walks up.

"Mm… M-Minato… san..." Everyone looks to Aigis and are shocked to see what's running down her face.

"A-Aigis!" Minato shouts. "A-Are you…?!" Aigis wipes her face and her eyes widen when she sees a familiar clear liquid on the palm of her hand. She's a machine, so it shouldn't even be possible.

"H-Huh…? I…" Minato laughs.

"So… you're just as human as us, after all." Aigis starts laughing as she rubs her eyes.

"Ah ha ha… They won't stop," she sobs. "T-This… is most unusual…" Everyone smiles at her. Seeing Yukari walking towards him, Koromaru gets off of Minato's lap to let him stand up. Yukari and Minato stand where they are, looking only at each other. Minato smiles.

"Yuka…" Yukari's body trembles, then she glares at him with her red swollen leaking eyes, and marches over to him, which strikes a truck load of fear in his soul.

"O-Oh... Aw, holy crap- AGH!" He shields himself as she starts screaming and beating on him with all she's got.

"H-Hey, ACK! Hey, cut it- OUCH! C-Calm down, that hurts- OW!"

"SHUT UP, YOU GRADE-A DUMB ASS! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!" Yukari screams. "WHY CAN'T YOU EVER STOP BEING SO DAMN RECKLESS?! WHY DO YOU ALWAYS DO CRAP LIKE THAT?! GOD, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Yukari's beating starts to slow down.

"A-Are you stupid or something?! No, seriously, are you stupid?! Know what?! Never mind! You're obviously stupid!" Yukari stops beating him and hangs her head.

"S-Stupider than Stupei… Y-You're such a… such a…" Yukari tries to hold back her sobs. Minato smiles at her and pushes her chin up to kiss her. He then places his hand on her cheek and wipes her tears away with his thumb.

"Hey... I'm sorry…" he whispers. Yukari's eyes widen as he pulls her in for a hug, placing her ear to his chest so that she could hear his beating heart. She slowly wraps her arms around Minato's waist, squeezing him tight, and lets herself cry in the comfort of his embrace.

"I-I… I believed!" she cries out. "I believed in you! I-I knew you were still alive! I knew you wouldn't leave me!" Those words stings his heart, considering his situation, but he couldn't bring himself to tell everyone. It would be better if they didn't know. A tear runs down his cheek as he rest his chin on her head.

"O-Of course I won't," he lied. "Just like I promised, over and over." He hugs her tighter.

"I-I'll always be here for you… I... I-I'll never leave you…" Yukari smiles as she nuzzles her face into his chest. After taking a few moments to calm down, Yukari looks up at Minato and smiles.

"Y-You… you ready to go home?" she asks. Minato nods.

"Yeah… let's go home…" Yukari pushes herself out of Minato's hug. He suddenly falls forward and flat on his face. Everyone quickly gathers around him.

"Minato, you alright?" Junpei asks. Minato chuckles.

"Sorry… I-I think I'm too tired. I-I can't move a muscle. Little help?" Akihiko walks in front of Minato's body and kneels down.

"C'mon, guys. Get this sloth on my back." he jokes. Junpei and Ken drag Minato onto their senpai's back and stands him, carrying him piggy back.

"Alright, go ahead and sleep if you want," Akihiko says. "Just try not to drool on me."

"You might not remember us when you wake up, however," Mitsuru laughs. Minato shakes his head.

"Don't worry… I-I'll never… forget…" Everyone smiles.

"Okay, everyone," Fuuka says. "Let's go home." Everyone nods and follows Akihiko out of the school campus.

**xxx**

On the street leading to the train station, everyone slowly walks behind Akihiko. Minato has been constantly been stirring around ever since they left the school.

"Senpai, maybe you should walk a little softer," Fuuka says. "I don't think Minato-kun can sleep with all that bouncing around."

"That's not exactly something I can control," Akihiko groans. Yukari giggles as she walks up beside him.

"Don't worry, Senpai. I got it," she says. She rubs her right hand up and down Minato's back. Minato starts to feel a bit at ease. Slowly, Aigis, Junpei, Fuuka, Mitsuru, and Ken join her in rubbing her back in comfort, trying to ease him to sleep.

Minato's eyes open a little and he sees Yukari giving him a gentle smile. He smiles back and slowly falls asleep, knowing that when he wakes up, it'll be a different world where his friends won't remember anything. He didn't care. All he wanted now… was to last until Graduation Day.

_See you all… in a month._

* * *

_**Chapter 12: End** _


	13. Love's Enduring Memory

The end of the world has been prevented, the fight against the Dark Hour has ended, and the legacy of life can continue onward. However, it will have to go on without its savoir: Minato Arisato. He has just surrendered his life to protect the world from calling down ultimate destruction for all eternity. The only thing keeping him tied to this world is the bonds that all of his strength is made from. Once he fulfills his final promise to his friends, he will pass on and take of his role as the guardian of life.

As Yukari mentioned before, the S.E.E.S. club's memories of the Dark Hour were wiped clean from their minds after Nyx was defeated. Even though they said they wouldn't, everyone forgot about everything they went through during the Dark Hour. The fights, their meetings, everything. Minato knew this. How?

Because even after several days, he's the only one who still remembers.

**xxx**

_Saturday, February 13, 2010: 19 days til Graduation_

**xxx**

The past two weeks have been hard for the boy who performed a miracle. With each passing day, Minato feels himself getting a little more tired, no matter how much he sleeps. He assumes it will soon get to the point where he won't be able to wake up again. Still, he's determined to hold on. That's only one thing.

Since all of his friends from S.E.E.S. have forgotten everything, it was difficult to even strike up a conversation with them. Koromaru is a stray again and Ken isn't in the dorm anymore. Akihiko and Mitsuru have been rather distant. Fuuka has even gone back to her shy old self. Minato sees Aigis stalking him from a distance often and gives her an occasional wave. It wouldn't surprise him if she still remembers too. The only people that still hang around him are Yukari and Junpei.

Junpei still acts the same way he always does, even without his memories of the Dark Hour. He's still good ol' Stupei.

As for Yukari… Minato's found it the hardest to act what she considers normal around her. They still go on dates every now and then, but it doesn't feel the same to him anymore. In January, she completely stopped caring about everyone knowing that they were together. She even stopped being embarrassed about letting Minato know how she really felt about him.

Now that she's forgotten, she's gone back to the way she used to be when they were first going out. She gets embarrassed about him staring at her too much and worries about people seeing them hold hands. Minato's even had to stop calling her "Yuka". Not because she told him to, but because he figured that would embarrass her too. It's hard to be with someone who you know loves you with everything they have, but not know it. Still, he wanted to stay with her anyway… since he's slowly approaching his final days.

**xxx**

School has just ended for the day. Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, a day that Minato has really been looking forward to. He rises from his desk and sees Yukari standing near the door. He's hesitant to talk to her about making plans for tomorrow since the relationship has basically started over from the beginning. Minato shrugs.

"Worth a shot," he whispers to himself. He walks over to her and she sees him.

"Oh! H-Hey," she says. Minato nods.

"Hey." Yukari looks away, blushing and laughing, as he rubs the back of his neck.

"S-So, uh… listen," Minato says. "I-I know… I know we haven't been… going out for that long." Those words couldn't taste more sour and vile in his mouth and grip harder on his heart. He takes a deep breath.

"That being said, I… I-I completely understand if you don't wanna do anything tomorrow." Yukari seems shocked by what he just said.

"W-What? No. Of course we can do something." she says. She rubs her arm up and down.

"I-In fact… I actually have something ready for you tomorrow."

"O-Oh! Really?!" Yukari nods.

"B-But it's not ready yet. I actually wanna head home and finish it, so… is it okay if we don't go out today?" Minato nods.

"Y-Yeah, sure. Take all the time you need." Yukari smiles and waves to him as she exits the classroom.

"Great! W-Well, I'll see you later." Minato waves back at her, then slumps and sighs. He suddenly feels someone wrap their arm around his neck. He can already guess who it is. He lightly elbows his in the gut.

 _"S'up, dude,"_ Minato says, doing his best Junpei voice.

"That sounds  **nothing** like me!" Junpei laughs. Minato sees Kenji walk up.

"So… were you two talkin' about tomorrow?" Kenji asks. Minato decided to let Junpei and Kenji know that he and Yukari are going out as long as they promise not to let anyone know.

"If you guys are trying to give me any sleazy ideas, don't bother," Minato says.

" _What?_  C'mon, man!" Junpei says. "Like we'd ever do something to mess up what you two have goin'!"

"Yeah! Besides, she's not really my type anyway," Kenji says. Minato looks at him with narrowed eyes.

"Yeah. You're type is saggy breasts, dirty dentures, menopause, and crows feet, right?"

"Whoa! Not  **that**  old!" Minato and Junpei laugh.

"And hey, you're one to talk!" Kenji says. "I hear Yukari is like half a year older than you!"

" **Two months!** Get your math right."

"But seriously, you guys seem pretty tight and it's only been like almost a year!" Minato looks down at the ground and frowns.

"Huh? Hey, what's wrong, man?" Junpei asks.

"Oh, it's nothing." Minato lies with a sigh.

 _You guys think we're close_ _ **now**_ _?_ he thinks.  _You should've seen us before the Fall_.

Minato checks his phone for the time.

"Hey guys, I actually gotta get going," he says. Junpei scratches his head.

"Oh, that time already, eh?" he says. "Man, why did you get a job in the first place?" Minato turns to the door.

"I-It's for… something really important… Anyway, see ya…"

**xxx**

For the past week, Minato's been working at the Game Panic arcade to earn enough money for something he wanted to do for Yukari on Valentine's Day. Since he knows he won't be around for White Day, he decided to bump his returning favor up a few weeks. He's been working overtime and on the weekends to make sure he has enough to pay for Yukari's gift. No matter what, it has to be the greatest gift he'll ever give… It'll be the last, after all.

After working his butt off today and earning what he believes is more than enough, Minato gets everything set up for tomorrow before heading home.

**xxx**

It's evening back at the dorm. Yukari is in her room looking at the boxes containing the outfit she just bought for Valentine's Day. The thought of her wearing it for Minato makes her face glow a radiant pink.

"Hngh… maybe I can just… return it?" she whimpers. She covers her face and fall onto her bed in embarrassment for tomorrow.

**xxx**

_Sunday, February 14, 2010: 18 days til Graduation_

**xxx**

It's Valentine's Day morning. Minato waits for Yukari at the bottom of the stairs. He steps hearing footsteps coming down.

"Yukari? That you?"

"Y-Yeah! J-Just g-g-gimme a s-second…" Minato looks up the stairs and sees a glorious sight like no other. Yukari slowly walks down the stairs in her most radiant form. A form that was unlike anything Minato has ever seen before.

Yukari is wearing a small white cardigan sweater with a pink frilly tube top dress underneath, and the white sandals she usually wears in the summer, with the piercing Minato gave to her for her birthday. She's carrying the brand designer bag he gave to her for Christmas. Her hair even tied up in a high ponytail by a black scrunchy and she had the flower clip from the Summer Festival on. She looked like a little girl dressing up… except she was a bazillion upon a bazillion times cuter.

Minato's eyes widen, his face turns into a tomato, his jaw drops like an anchor as he clenches his heart, checking to see if it was still beating after laying his eyes on such a glorious sight. When she meets at the ground floor, she hangs her head, rubs her arm up and down, and looks up at Minato with a glowing blushed smile.

"U-Uh… aha ha ha ha… I-I-I… look ridiculous, don't I?" she laughs nervously. Minato miraculously shakes off his utter speechlessness.

"T-There's… just… no words…" he stutters.

"I-I've never really worn anything like this before, so… it's kinda embarrassing. I-I… just really wanted to look nice for you today. U-Um… i-it doesn't look weird on me, does it?" Minato smiles and shakes his head.

"N-No! No! Y-You look… I-I mean… I don't think anyone could anyone, human or goddess, could ever look as good as you do right now!" Yukari's face turns even more pink.

"C-C'mon! Cut it out! You're making it worse!" she shouts.

"Sorry, sorry. It's just… you really do look amazing." Yukari giggles and nods.

"Hm… thank you." She holds Minato's hand tightly.

"So, wanna get going?" she asks.

"You're not worried about people seeing us?" Minato asks. Yukari shakes her head.

"Today's not the day to worry about stuff like that. Plus… I don't think anyone from school will recognize me like this."

"Alright, then. Let's go." The couple walk out the front entrance, hand in hand.

**xxx**

At Paulowina Mall, Junpei and Kenji are hanging out at Game Panic, playing Roof Brawler Grand Prix. Junpei strikes the final blow to Kenji.

"Aw, dammit!" Kenji curses. Junpei starts busting out a victory dance.

 _"Ho yeah! Who's da man?! This guy! That's who!"_ he cheers. He points at his defeated opponent.

"You owe me an extra large pizza!"

"Ugh, fine!" Kenji groans. The two jokers look around them, see all the couple hanging out and playing games, and sigh at their own loneliness.

"Guess you and I are in the herd of unlucky ones, huh?" Kenji groans.

"Yeah… looks like it." The two loners soon notice everyone slowly start gathering near the Dance Riot game.

"What's goin' on over there?" Junpei asks.

"Someone's probably burning up the dance pad," Kenji says. "Wanna go check it?"

**xxx**

**Five minutes earlier…**

Minato and Yukari walk into Game Panic. Yukari looks at Minato, confused.

"Uh…"

"What? What's wrong?" Minato asks. Yukari shoots a light glare at him.

"I dressed up like the world's most glamorous princess for you today," Yukari says. "And we're just doing…  **this**?" Minato rolls his eyes.

"Don't start jumping to conclusions on me. We're easing into it, alright?" Yukari smiles and give him a light punch in the arm.

"Yeah, I know. I'm just kidding." Minato chuckles.

 _Either I finally got use to 'em,_  he thinks.  _Or your little teases are getting rusty._  

Minato spots the Dance Riot game and smiles.

"Hey, can you shake it?" Minato asks Yukari.

"Huh? Shake what?" Minato points at the dancing game.

"What your mama gave ya?" Yukari sees where Minato's pointing and shakes her head.

"Oh, no way. Absolutely not."

"Have you ever tried?"

"W-Well, no. But…" Yukari looks down at the ground, then notices her sandals.

"Oh darn! I'm wearing sandals. They're not exactly made for dancing-"

"Then, take 'em off." Yukari starts blushing.

"B-But, i-it's…" Minato walks in front of her and holds her hands.

"C'mon, it'll be fun. I'll do it with you. Let's get gorgeous bod moving, huh?" Yukari looks up at Minato's smiling face. She giggles as she jogs over to Dance Riot, taking off her sandals as she does.

"This is so stupid!"  she complains. Minato jogs after her.

"Yeah! There ya go!" The couple hop onto the dance pad and Minato puts in the required yen coins, selects a song to dance to, and sets the game to Boy+Girl couple as Yukari puts her shoes on the side. Yukari gets into position.

"Alright! Hit it!"

 _You're excited about this, all of a sudden,_ Minato thinks. He nods and smashes the "Play" button. He quickly gets into position as the game screen loads. The couple bounce their head to the tempo of the song before the arrow come rushing in and they start to boogie down.

**xxx**

**Present Time...**

A large crowd has gathered around Minato and Yukari, who are burning up the dance pad. Their moves are perfect and completely in sync. They didn't even have trouble with the Duo Move sections. The couple didn't notice their audience at all. They were having so much fun dancing together that it felt like they were teleported to another dimension in which they were the only inhabitants.

They strike a pose in unison when the song reaches its end. They take a moment to catch their breath, then notice the applauding audience around them. They smile and take a bow and the crowd starts to disperse. Yukari wipes the sweat off her forehead and walk over to put her sandals back on as Minato looks at the game screen.

"That! Was! **Awesome!** " Yukari shouts. Minato's eyes widen in surprise.

"Hey, look! We got the highest score!" Yukari rushes back to Minato's side, still putting her sandals back on, and see the score with a blank name glowing at the top of the scoreboard. Minato puts in the name "M&Y", meaning "Minato and Yukari".

"Minato and Yukari rise above all ass," Minato chuckles, speaking of the many scores below titled "ASS".

"Ha ha ha! Oh man, that's so stupid!" Yukari laughs.

"M-Minato?!"

"Y-Yuka-tan?!" The couple jumps at the sound of familiar voices and turn to see Junpei and Kenji, eyes widened and jaw agape in shock. Minato scratches the back of his head and laughs.

"Oh! Uh… s'up, guys," he says.

"D-Dude," Kenji stutters. "I never, in a million years, would've pegged you as someone with happy feet." Junpei blushes as he stares at Yukari.

"M-More importantly… Y-Yu… Yuka-tan… you look…" Yukari quickly hides behind Minato.

"D-Don't stare at me like that, you perv!" she yells at Junpei.

"Hey, it's kinda justified here," Minato says. "Ya know, considering." Yukari hurries off the dance pad.

"W-Well, just so we're clear, we aren't-"

"Don't even bother, Takeba," Kenji says. "We already know you guys are two peas in pod."

"W-What?!"

"C'mon, Yuka-tan," Junpei says, finally snapping out of his trance. "Do I really look that stupid- Wait, no. Don't answer that."

"U-Uh… how long-"

"Past week. Calm down. We swore we wouldn't tell anyone 'cause we knew that would just piss you off. And we won't tease ya about it either." Junpei checks his watch.

"Whoa, well would ya look at the time! C'mon, Kenji. We're gonna be late for that." Kenji looks to Junpei.

"Late for what?"

"You know.  _That_. It's today. We wanted to do  _that_ , remember?" Kenji quickly catches on.

" _Ooooh, that!_ Yeah, we don't wanna be late for that." Kenji and Junpei start walking away.

"Well, we're gonna bail," Junpei says to the couple. "You two have fun today." Yukari nods.

"Y-Yeah. Good luck with… that." The Magician duo exit the arcade and Minato nudges Yukari.

"See? They  **do**  know when to keep their mouths shut," he says. Yukari laughs sheepishly.

**xxx**

The couple passed more time at the arcade, then walked around the mall, and finally ended up at the Chegall Cafe.

Yukari looks around a few minutes after she and Minato are seated.

"Sure is crowded here today," she mumbles. Minato chuckles and nods. Yukari looks into her bag and takes a deep breath. She picks it up, puts it in her lap, and starts digging through it.

"H-Hey, um… Now seems like an as good a time as any to give you this," she says to Minato. Yukari blushes as she pulls out a small pink box with hearts on it and slowly hands it to him.

"H-Happy V-Valentine's Day," she stutters. Minato reaches out to take it and takes a good look at it. He sees the price tag on the bottom.

 _This is from the sweets shop_ , he thinks. He opens the box, which is filled with small chocolates and eats one of them.

"S-So? H-How is it?" Minato smiles and nods.

"I-It's good… Thanks." He says it's okay, but Minato didn't really feel so happy deep down. He couldn't help but wonder what the Yukari in January would've given him if she were here. That was Yukari that loved him with everything she had and made it clear. The Yukari now is okay and he knows she'll remember everything come Graduation, but still... They'll only be together for a short time before he passes on.

Yukari notices Minato start to frown.

"Minato? You okay?" Minato snaps back to reality and shakes his head.

"Uh, yeah. I-I'm fine," he says. "Just spaced out a little bit." Yukari catches sight of their waiter with their orders walk up to their table. He sets their orders down on the table.

"Sorry for the wait," he says. "Here you go." Yukari smiles and nods at their waiter.

"Thanks." The waiter walks over to Minato and whispers in his ear.

"Hey, you're Minato, right?" he asks in a whisper. Minato nods.

"Do you want us to bring out the "special thing" now?" the waiter asks. Minato looks up at the ceiling in thought.

 _Maybe this wasn't such a good idea_ , he thinks. It may be too early, by the Yukari now's standards, to do stuff like this. She might think he's going to fast. He then shakes his head and shuts his eyes.

 _You know what? I don't care! I… I don't have much time left! If I'm gonna do this, it's gotta be_ _ **now!**_  

He take a deep breath and looks at the waiter.

"Yeah. Go ahead and bring it out," he whispers.

"Right away." The waiter walks away, with Yukari looking at him in curiosity.

 _"O-kay?"_ she says. She looks back at Minato.

"Mind telling me what  _that_  was all about?" Minato rubs the back of his neck.

"U-Um… O-Okay. Don't freak out or get mad at me, but, uh… I  _might have_  kinda sorta maybe kinda sorta kinda…" He lets out a deep sigh before finishing his sentence.

"... Had something ready for today." Yukari's eyes widen in shock.

"W-What?! B-But Minato-"

"I-I know what you're about say! A-And yeah! I-I'm not supposed to do this til White Day! I-I know that!" Minato looks down with a pained face, thinking about how he won't be around on that day.

"B-But… t-that's like a month away and I… I-I just… I  **can't**  wait that long." 

 _Well… More like I won't be able to_.

Minato spots the waiter bring his gift for Yukari.

"Oh, h-here it comes. I-It's… kinda big, but…" Yukari turns around and absolute shock hits her like a bullet to the heart as the waiter with a huge red heart-shaped box with a black rectangle box attached to it and a big bouquet of roses walks to their table and puts them down in front of her. Minato blushes as the couples around starts staring at them in surprise. 

 _I had a feeling people would notice_.

"S-So, uh… well… H-Happy early White Day." Yukari hesitates before nodding, staring at Minato's expectation smashing gift to her.

"U-Uh… yeah."

**xxx**

After finishing up at the cafe, Yukari asked Minato to take her to the Moonlight Bridge. The couple walk across the sidewalk of the strangely quiet road as the sun slowly sets on the horizon. Minato looks around, weirded out by the lack of people and cars.

"This bridge is… kinda dead, huh?" he says. He doesn't get a response from Yukari, who's still staring at her gift. Minato looks at her, noticing her frown.

"Hey, you alright?" The two stop walking and just stand for a moment. Then, Yukari shoves her present at Minato.

"M-Minato… I-I'm sorry," she says. "I can't accept this."

"H-Huh? Why not?" Yukari shakes her head.

"I-It's nothing. I-I just can't."

"Uh, when someone gives you such a big present and you say you can't accept it, there's obviously a better reason than you  _just can't_." Yukari turns away and walks towards the edge of the bridge.

"Well, there isn't this time, alright?!" Minato stares at her, then at his present for her and sighs. He knows it's not her fault that she's forgotten, but it still hurts to not be able to let her know how he feels without fear of being rejected by the her now.

"I-I'm… I'm getting too serious, aren't I?" Yukari doesn't respond and Minato sadly smiles.

"Ha ha ha… was I thinking, right?" he laughs. "I-I mean… it hasn't even been a whole year since we started spending time together like this. It's not natural for me to already be at this point, is it?" There's a bit of silence.

"I knew it was a bad idea when I thought of it; not waiting til White Day. And it's a huge gift on top of that. It's just... you're the first girl I've been with like this... and... I thought..." Minato shakes his head, then looks towards Yukari.

"Never mind. My bad... Sorry for putting you on the spot like that... I'm sorry..." Yukari stays silent for a bit longer.

"N-No… that's… that's not it," she mumbles.

"Huh?" Yukari turns her head.

"I… It made me happy to know you set that up for me," she says. "I was… really happy… Seriously. I wanted to scream with joy and hold you so tight...!" Yukari looks up at the sky.

"I-It's just… why **me?** " Minato walks towards her.

"Whaddya mean "why you"?"

"I-I mean… ya know… you've been really sweet to me since we started going out. And you've been even more sweet these past two weeks. We don't go out together that often, but… you've still been so nice to me."

"Is it a problem that I'm so nice to you?" Yukari shakes her head.

"No! It not you being so nice that's the problem!" she exclaims.

"Then, why-"

"It's  **me!** "

"Huh?" Yukari turns around and glares at Minato.

"It's the fact that it's  **me**  you're being so nice to! Me, of all people!" Yukari looks down and rubs the back of her neck.

"Um… Minato… can I ask you something?"

"Anything. What is it?"

"W-Well… it's just…" She sighs and stares intently at Minato.

"Why me…?" she asks. "Why do you be so nice to and… spend so much time with **me?** " She starts to blush.

"L-Like… every time I ask you to do something, you say yes and do it without question. You never ask for anything in return. You always look out for me. You've been caught up in so many things cuz you were with me, like at the station and the stuff with my mom. And honestly… I know I've been a bitch to you sometimes. But still… you never stopped being with me." Yukari looks away,

"Is it because we have the same past… or are we really just good friends? Be honest… how do really feel about me?" Minato stays silent.

"Ya know lately… I've been thinking about everything that's happened between us. And… something's making me think that maybe… you're just putting up with me out of sympathy... On the other hand, part of me thinks you feel something more about me… and is telling me I've done nothing to deserve that. The size of that gift is giving me all sorts of signs." Yukari stares intently at Minato again.

"So, be honest… how do you really feel about me? Do you put up with me because of sympathy… or do you really feel something for me?"

Minato couldn't help but feel that the question she just asked is a major question in their relationship that's never really been answered. He told her before that her sharing her past with him is what he took as her reaching out to him and drawing him closer to her, but he's never really known if that was all his feelings came from. He's never answered that all that's really drawn him towards her… is just plain sympathy.

Minato takes a moment to gather his thoughts, then takes a deep breath and stares intently at Yukari.

"Yukari… I'm gonna say something. Just… don't say anything til I finish, okay?" Yukari nods.

"Okay… So… Yeah. When I started hanging out with you, it was out of plain sympathy. I thought of you as someone I needed to be around because you were the only one who understood me. That sympathy is what drove me to get to know you better. But…" He pauses.

"It stopped driving me months ago. Everything I've been doing lately… I've been doing it because I genuinely want to be by your side. I wanna be the person you laugh with when you're happy, the shoulder you cry on when you're sad, and the hand you hold when you need someone. Not out of sympathy, but… because of how much you mean to me... how much I care about you."

"Minato…" He looks down.

"To tell you the truth… it's been kinda hard for me to hold back how I feel. I mean, like I said, we haven't been together that long. It's only been several months, so it's weird for me to feel this way…" He looks at Yukari with a sad smile.

"But… I feel how I feel. That's just it. And… I feel things I've never felt before when I'm with you. So... long story short... you have no idea how much you really mean to me." Yukari's eyes widen at Minato's confession. She then hangs her head and shuts her eyes.

"Minato… I-I'm sorry."

"Huh?" She starts rubbing her eyes to keep the tears from falling out.

"You... you had to keep all this in because I was too embarrassed to let people see us like this," she sniffs. "I was being so selfish that I didn't even care how you felt. You've been hurting this whole time and… I am  **so**  sorry. That's more reason why I-"

"You better not be thinking of ending that sentence with that "don't deserve your feelings" bullshit." Yukari looks up at Minato.

"If you didn't deserve them," he says. "I wouldn't be feeling them towards you. And you wanna know why I feel this way towards you?" Minato cracks a big smile.

"Because under that emotional iron wall, armed to the teeth with Vulcan six-barrel revolver mood swing cannons, is the cheerful, big-hearted Yukari Takeba I treasure more than anything else in this world!" Yukari's eyes widen as Minato offers her his gift.

"And **this** is my proof. So… please accept it. There's no sympathy involved. No strings attached whatsoever... Please accept all the feelings I have for you deep down in... the pretty much dark and empty mess that is... my heart." Yukari stares at the gift and smiles.

"Y'know… I was also scared that… you didn't feel the same way I feel about you. But… not anymore." She slowly takes the gift from Minato's hands.

"So... yes. I accept your feelings... and I want you to know that I feel the same way... I-It might takes some time for me to not be so embarrassed anymore, though." Minato shakes his head, not worrying about Graduation Day.

"No worries," he says. "Take all the time you need… But while you're at it, why don't you open that black box?" Yukari locates the black box strapped to the red one, removes it, and puts the red box and rose bouquet down. She opens the box and her smile widens as she gazes on the gold crossed heart necklace. She closes the box and hands it to Minato.

" **You**  put it on me!" she says. Minato nods, takes the box, and Yukari turns around as he takes out the necklace. He moves the necklace up and over her head and secures it around her neck. Yukari touches the necklace, then turns around to give Minato a hug.

"It's beautiful, Minato," she says. "Thank you." Minato chuckles as he hugs her back. She suddenly pushes him away.

"W-What's wrong?" Minato asks. Yukari starts digging into her bag.

"Know what? Screw it! I'm giving you my  **real**  chocolate right now!"

"Wait, what?!  **Real** chocolate?!" Minato's eyes widen as Yukari yanks out a huge box of chocolate of her own. It's not as big as Minato's, but it's still huge.

"Holy hell!" He shouts.

"I-I kinda chickened out when it was time for me to give it to you cause I was too embarrassed to admit I made it for you. So, I gave the small one instead." She shakes her head.

"But… I don't need to be so embarrassed anymore." Minato starts laughing as he takes the chocolate.

"You really are a piece of work, ya know that?!" Yukari starts laughing. Minato looks down in hesitation, then speaks.

"Hey, um… do you mind if I call you Yuka from now on?" he asks. Yukari's face glows pink and she giggles.

"Ha ha ha… Yuka?! Um… I-I gotta admit! That's kinda cute!" She nods.

"Uh… I like it. Go ahead."

"Alright…" Minato sets the chocolate down, then walks up and hugs Yukari, with her hugging him back.

"Happy early White Day, Yuka."

"Happy Valentine's Day, Minato." As the sun sets on the horizon, Minato gets lost in Yukari's embrace, not caring about how today would've turned out if she still remembered… and not caring about how many sunsets he has left.

* * *

_**Chapter 13: End** _


	14. I Will Never Leave You

_Unyielding power?_   _A bright and shining future? An amazing life? If you asked me if I had any of those, I would deny it til the end of time and beyond. I don't have any of those things._   _I have no power. I have no future. I have no life. In fact, I don't have anything at all. No… maybe it would make more sense to say... nothing I have is my own._

_My bright and shining future? It's all of my friends being together. My unyielding power? It's my friends' powers united. My amazing life? It's the lives of my friends joined as one. Everything I have is borrowed. My future is my friends' future. My power is my friends' power. My life is my friends' life._

_May they carry their everything and mine forward on the path of life… forever._

_~ Minato Arisato ~_

_December 1st, 1992 - March 6th, 2010_

**xxx**

_Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010: 2 days til Graduation_

**xxx**

Spring has sprung beautifully in Iwatodai. The cherry blossom are carried elegantly by the gentle and cool winds as the sun shines brightly upon the peaceful city. This spring was saved by one messiah of miracle… and like the seasons, he must pass.

Among the crowd of students walking through school gate, Minato is slowly moving forward, unphased by the people bumping into him or the sound of other students gossiping. His entire being, mind, body, and soul, were suffering from the most intense case of utter exhaustion.

A little more than a full month has passed since he relinquished his life essence to bring about the miracle that prolonged the legacy of life. What ties him to this world now is the promise he made to his friends to meet each other again on Graduation Day, which is in two days. The fatigue of chaining his consciousness to his body and fighting against the force that is trying to take him has started it take full effect. It's been a brutal battle just to stay awake in the daytime and a gruesome ordeal to hold onto life during sleep at night. Two more days remain and he's on his last legs.

Minato looks up at the sky, eyes narrowed by the fatigue. When a cold gale blows, he loses balance, but fought victoriously to stay standing. He rubs his eyes and takes a few deep breaths.

 _Two days,_ he thinks.  _I'm almost there… Just two more days._

"Yo!" Minato jumps, which gives him a rush of energy to help him stay awake, and see Junpei next to him, smiling at him. Minato smiles and waves at him.

"S'up," he mumbles, trying to talk as less as possible to save his strength. Junpei shivers from the cold wind.

"Brr! Damn, it's cold," Junpei says. "But of course, you never miss a day of school." Junpei looks up at the sky.

"Man, can you believe this year's already over? We're practically seniors now. Just one more year… ya think anything interesting will happen?" Minato gives him a slight nod.

"Definitely," he mumbles. Junpei looks at Minato.

"I hope you're right. But seeing the current seniors makes me wonder. Seems like all they frickin' do is study. Talk about boring." Junpei scratches his head.

"Is that gonna be us next year? Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?" Minato gives him a light push forward, telling him to start walking. Junpei smiles and the two start walking towards the school. On the way, they see Aigis, staring at them behind a tree, although Junpei doesn't remember her.

_... Aigis..._

"Hey, is that girl looking at us?" Junpei asks. "Dude, she's pretty cute! How come I never noticed her before?"

"What're you talking about? She lives in the same dorm as us." Minato and Junpei turn to their right and see Yukari smiling next to them.

"Seriously?! Uh… What's her name, then?" Junpei asks. Yukari shrugs.

"I dunno."

"So then, why are you giving me a hard time?!" Junpei shakes his head.

"Anyway, it's always crazy in the dorms this time of year, with so many people coming and going. Oh yeah, did you hear? Akihiko-senpai's movin' out. Ya know, the captain of the boxing team."

"I know who he is, but I haven't really talked to him. Of course all the graduates are leaving, even Kirijo-senpai."

"Miss Student Council President… She's in our dorm too, huh?" Junpei smiles as he nudges Minato.

"Wonder who's gonna take her place. Maybe a certain Einstein kendo ace might be perfect for the job. Right?" Yukari shakes her head and giggles.

 _"Nah! He's too much of a tired, lazy bum to handle a job that big,"_ Yukari teases. Minato smiles and punches Yukari in the arm.

 **"Smart ass."** The three notice Aigis is still staring at them.

"Man, what is up with that girl?" Yukari says. She waves to her.

"Hey, there! Are you looking at us?" she asks her. "Is something wrong?" Aigis looks away from them.

"Um… it's nothing," she says before running off.

"She looks kinda depressed, doesn't she?" Junpei says. He suddenly smiles.

"Wait, Minato… do you think she might be interested in one of us?!"

"Ha ha, I doubt it!" Yukari laughs.

"Ouch… That hurts."

"Messed up," Minato mumbles.

"By the way, Yuka-tan…"

"Yeah?" Junpei scratches his head.

"Uh… Never mind. Forget it." Yukari puts her hands to her hips.

"Aw, come on now… Don't gimme that," she says. Junpei looks intently at Yukari.

"Um, well… Do you remember how we became friends?" he asks. "I mean, don't take it the wrong way. I was just thinking…" Yukari crosses her arms in thought and shuts her eyes.

"Hmm… Well, it's not like we're  _best_  friends or anything, so I guess it just… kinda happened." Junpei nods in agreement.

"Yeah, I guess so." Yukari starts having the look on her face that says something's bugging her.

"But… it  **is**  kinda weird, actually, now that I think about it. But, I can't explain why." Minato assumes it has something to do with their lost memories, but he doesn't worry about it. Yukari looks in the direction Aigis run off to.

"Anyway, that girl… Why do I-" The school bell suddenly starts ringing.

"Oh crap!" Junpei yells. The three rush towards to the school to hurry to class, with a weary, yet smiling Minato trailing behind.

**xxx**

_Thursday, March 4th, 2010: 1 day til Graduation_

**xxx**

The after school bell has rung and the students of class 2-F rise from their seats and starts to scramble. Minato was somehow able to stay awake during class, although there were some dire moments of his head almost dropping on his desk. He looks to see Yukari standing near the door. He slowly struggles out of his seat and to his feet, feeling much more fatigue than yesterday. He finds his center of balance, slowly walks over to her, and taps her shoulder. She jumps and turns to see him.

"O-Oh, Minato!" she exclaims.

"Scare you?" Yukari shakes her head.

"No. S-Sorry, I-I was actually just thinking about… you…" Yukari notices how exhausted Minato looks. His face is looking pale, there are bags under his eyes, and his eyelids are constantly dropping. It's like he could pass out at any second.

"Hey, Minato, are you alright? You don't look so good…" Minato yawns and rubs his eyes.

"Hm… Y-Yeah. I'm… fine… Just... ugh... can't seem to get enough sleep." Yukari leans in for a better look.

"You  **sure**? I mean, I've been seeing you like this for the past month and it looks like it just keeps getting worse." Minato shakes his head to try and shake off his fatigue.

"No. I'm... I'm totally fine. Honest." Yukari can't help be worry even more as she puts her hand on his forehead, then on hers to check his temperature.

"M-Minato… A-Are you absolutely 100%  **sure**  you're okay?" she asks in a serious tone. "You're not really sick or anything? You're making sure you stay healthy? Eating right? Hm... you don't seem to have a fever. It doesn't look like it's the flu. But um... M-Maybe you should go to the nurse-" Minato rolls his eyes.

"We both know Mr. Edogawa's witch doctor medicines don't actually work. If anything, they... they'll make you feel worse." Yukari nods and starts to fidget.

"R-Right. W-Well, maybe we should get you some medicine from the mall. W-Wait, would they even know what's wrong? Um... or maybe we should take you to the hospital. See a doctor. They could probably-" Minato rubs his eyes again, then puts his hand on Yukari's shoulder.

"Yuka... it's really sweet how you're... so worried about me, but... don't be. I-I'm okay. I'm just… tired." Yukari places her hand on Minato's.

"Really? You  **swear**? Everything's  **really**  okay?" Minato smiles and nods. Yukari moves Minato's bang aside.

"Minato… If something's ever wrong, you'll tell me, right? Whatever it is, I'll help you through it. I mean, that's my job. I'm your  _girlfriend_ , after all." Minato hesitates, feeling guilty about having to keep up the lie for so long.

 _I don't_ _ **want**_ _to lie to her and hide things from her,_  he thinks. _But… there's no way I can tell her the truth._

He nods.

"Yeah. I will. I promise." Yukari stares at him for a bit, then sighs and nods.

"O-Okay. You **promised.** " Yukari looks down and rubs her arm up and down as Minato rubs his eyes and yawns. She takes a deep breath.

"Hey, um…"

"Hm? What's up?" Yukari hesitates before looking up at Minato.

"C-Can we go somewhere else?" she asks. "I-I need to talk to you about something." Minato tilts his head, then nods. Yukari smiles.

"T-Thanks…"

**xxx**

The two walk up to the school roof and stand near the fence. Yukari is looking down in hesitation.

"S-Sorry for bringing you out here," she says. "Um… I… I actually little favor to ask…"

"What is it?" Minato asks.

"W-Well…" Yukari goes silent for a moment, then takes a deep breath and stares intently at Minato.

"I-It's my mom," she says. "I… want you to meet her." Minato's eyes pop open.

"Wow. Bold, even for you." Yukari quickly shakes her head.

"H-Hey, no! That's not what I meant!" Yukari rubs the back of her neck.

"I-It's just… I just promised to visit my mom," she says. "But I'm still kinda scared. Like, if I see her… I might end up saying some really nasty things. What if we end up hurting each other even more? I don't wanna hurt her feelings. I still haven't sorted this all out inside, either. But still, I… I  **do**  wanna see her…" Yukari smiles at Minato, placing her hand over where her necklace is hidden underneath her sweater.

"That's why I thought it'd be great if you could be there with me. You don't have to say anything, really… I'll just feel more confident just by having you around. I'm a lot calmer about things when I'm with you, so I feel like I can clear the air with my mom if you come with me…" Yukari takes another deep breath.

"So… if it's not too much trouble… How about it?" Minato rubs his eyes, feeling a rush of guilt that he won't be able to go. 

_Well… maybe her knowing I was willing to will help._

Minato smiles and nods.

"Count me in." Yukari gasps and bounces on her feet a little.

"R-Really?! You mean it?!" Minato chuckles and nods, telling her that he means it. Yukari runs over Minato to give him a tight hug.

"Oh, Minato, thank you! You're the best, you know that?! I'll call her up as soon as I get home! I've been putting this off for  **so**  long!" Minato hugs her back, then she breaks away.

"Sorry my family's such a pain." Minato shakes his head.

"No sweat." Yukari smirks at him.

"Hey,  _sooo_ … I bet you're thinking… "Couldn't I have gone out with someone with fewer problems?"" Minato shakes his head.

"Nah. I really like you," he says. "I  **wanted**  to go out with  **you** , problems or none." Yukari blushes.

_"H-Hey, it sounds weird when you just come out and say like **that**. I was just joking… Geez…"_

"Well, I wasn't. I say the more problems, the better. I mean, you know how I like being here to help you through 'em." Yukari stares at him, then giggles as she gives him another hug.

"Hm hm… I know." Minato hugs her back.

"Ya know, it's almost spring break," Yukari says, still holding Minato close. "It went by so fast… we're already seniors. At the end of the year, we'll graduate and go to college… And then start a career? Hard to imagine, huh?" Yukari pause for a moment.

"Hey… do you think… we'll still be together then? Like... you and me'll still be...  **you and me**?"

 _I have_   _lie about that_ _ **again**_ _,_ Minato thinks.  _Dammit!_

He closes his eyes for a moment.

"Yeah, of course," he says. "After we graduate from high school... after we graduate from college... after we start careers... even after we die... you and me will  **always**  be  **you and me**. Period." Yukari squeezes him tighter and smiles.

"Yeah… I really think so too." Yukari finally breaks the hug.

"Well, let's talk about the  **near**  future now," she says. "After we go see my mom, you feel like going somewhere over spring break?" Yukari claps her hands together.

" _Oooh_ , maybe could go to Destinyland?" Minato eyes widen as he remember him promising to take her somewhere when the fighting was over. Another promise he can't keep. Yukari starts blushes.

"Uh... but it's just the two of us, okay? You better not invite anyone else." Yukari laughs sheepishly as casts her eyes downward in embarrassment.

"Uh… we could… stay the night and stuff... U-Um… I-I wonder if anyone else at the dorms would realize… if we both went away for a night… Aha ha ha, that's really embarrassing to think about." Yukari shakes her head.

"L-Let's talk about it more later." Minato nods and Yukari goes silent for a moment.

"H-Hey, um… Minato?"

"Yeah?" Yukari takes a deep breath and smiles at Minato.

"T-Thanks for… being with me these past couple months," she says. "For a long time, I… I never imagined myself being with anyone and… never imagined I could be so happy in my whole life. And now… I can't imagine the rest of my life without you there." That dealt a big hit to Minato's heart.

"... Y-Yuka…" Yukari laughs innocently.

"I'm looking forward to the years to come… cuz I know they'll just keep getting better and better… as long as we're together." A bold blush brings out Yukari's true beauty.

"And just like you said... we'll be together... **forever**... right?"

Minato is speechless by the fact that she thinks he'd never lie to her and they'll be together forever… and he knows he's lying now... and they can't. Through sheer force of will, he smiles and nods. Yukari checks her phone for the time.

"Oh, I gotta go," she says. "Anyway, don't forget to leave some time free during spring break, 'kay?"

Time seems to slow for Minato as Yukari walks towards the door leading back inside. Spring break… the end of the year… the years to come… he won't be around for any of it. No more laughing and having fun together… no more feeling her warm hand in his… no more sleeping beside each other with him smelling her sweet flower scent… no more hear the sweet sound of her calling his name… that's all gone tomorrow.

As Yukari walks past him, he subconscious lets out a whisper.

 _"... I love you… Yuka…"_ Yukari turns around.

"Huh? You say something?" Minato snaps out of his trance and smiles at her.

"Oh, nothing. See ya later." Yukari smiles, nods, and walks through the door back inside, leaving Minato by himself. He just stands there with the sun behind him… looking down... on the roof... alone.

Minato starts feeling faint, loses balance, and falls to his knees when the cold wind blows, seemingly sapping more energy from him. He take a moment gasp for air and shake himself awake, trying to fight the force trying to spirit him away. He sees the cell phone strap bracelet on his right wrist and thinks of Yukari, the love of his life and reason for being. He gulps and forces a smile as his body starts to tremble.

"I-I… I love you…" Tears start to blur his vision and drop from his face, onto the ground as a choking feeling envelops his throat. He tries to favor it with his left hand.

"I-I love… you… Yukari…" He is unable to hold back his sniffles and sobs as he kisses the toy figurine and covers his mouth with his hands, with his eyes starting to turn red and swell up.

 **"I-I-I love you…!"** He slowly shuts his eyes, rocks back and forth on his knees, and lets his sadness flood out.

With such a bright future filled with so much happiness and love he was looking forward to with the friends, who became his family, and the girl, who fixed and became his heart, after over ten whole years of emotional solitude...

Minato Arisato is hesitant... reluctant...  **scared**... to die.

Afterwards… was a long sorrow filled walk home.

**xxx**

It's evening now and Minato has returned to the dorm. It's surprisingly quiet. The sign-in sheet is blank, so everyone must still be out. Minato, with his eyes still swollen from all of his crying, slowly walks towards the staircase.

Suddenly, a flash of light appears in his eyes and his body suddenly shuts down. His eyes, which lose their light in an instant, widen and he gasps as he collapses on the floor. He starts feeling cold, his vision starts to fade, and his body won't respond to any of his commands. Fear rushes over him as he realizes what this is.

 _"N-N-N-Nuh… N-N-Nuh nuh… N-N-No! **N-N-No!** N-No, p-p-p-please! P-Please, n-not now!"_ He struggles and struggles as hard as he can to shake death's embrace off him, but nothing is responding. His breathing starts to heavy as his vision fades even more and he feels his heartbeat start to slow. His eyelids start feeling heavier as tears start leaking out.

_I-Is… is this… really it? Am.. am I… am I just… done? Is it… is it… really over? A-After… after… after I… I fought so hard… am I… am I… really… going to die now? Is… that it… when I… when I… was so… close?_

Minato lies on the ground cold and motionless, unable to move, barely able to see, plummeting deeper into the black of death.

...

He just... lies there… still.

**xxx**

 

 

 

Still…

 

 

 

 

Still…

 

 

 

 

 

Still…

 

 

 

**xxx**

" _Minato…_ " Minato suddenly hears his name being whispered, faintly.

" _Minato…_ " The voice starts to sound familiar.

" _Minato…_ " Minato gasps, realizing who's calling him.

**_"Y-Yu… ka… ri…"_ **

Minato's vision, strength, and warmth slowly flow back into his body. He slowly slides his hands into position and pushes himself up, moving one centimeter off the ground with each passing second. He stops for a moment, takes a few deep breaths, and looks in front of him to see an image of Yukari and all of his friends smiling and waving at him. He hears Yukari calling out to him.

_"Minatoooo! C'mon, Mr. Snooze! Everyone's waiting for you!"_

Minato shuts his eyes, with the tears still leaking out, and growls.

"T-That… that's right… I… I… I made…" He shoots a glare up the stairs.

" **A promise!** "

He lets out an explosive wail, then start slamming his hands into the grounds and dragging his megaton body toward and up the stairs. His legs dragged on the stairs as he pulled himself up to the second floor. He grabs the guard rail at the top, pulls himself to his feet, finds his center of balance, and slowly puts one leg in front of the other towards his room. His vision was still severely blurred, but he continued to fight. He holds himself against the wall and gradually makes his way to his room, thinking of everyone waiting for him with every heavy step he took.

Step.

" _... K-Ken..."_ Step.

 _"K-Koro... maru..."_ Step _._

 _"F-F-Fuu... k-ka..."_ Step _._

 _"A-Aki... h-hiko..."_ Step _._

 _"M-M-Mi... t-tsuru..."_ Step _._

 _"J-J-Jun... pei..."_ Step _._

 _"A-A-Ai... gis..."_ Step.

_"Y-Y-Yu... Y-Yu... Yu... ka... ri..."_

When he opens the door, his body shuts down again and he fall forward, but retains consciousness. He pushes himself up again and crawls to his bed, close the door with his foot as he does and not bothering to lock it. He lies on the floor for a moment to rest.

"I-I… I can… make… it…" He pulls himself up on the edge of his bed until he gets to a knee, then launches his entire body onto the mattress. He smiles, proud that he was able to get to his bed, as he catches his breath, then rolls himself face up and stares at the ceiling, contemplating on what he should do. Staying up will only make it harder for him to hold onto life, but he didn't know what would happen if he tried to sleep now when he's clearly at the end of his rope. Would he unintentionally let go and pass before he could keep his promise?

Minato takes a deep breath and slowly lets his eyes close, determined to see the light of day one last time.

_Please… just... let me wake up tomorrow._

**xxx**

_Friday, March 5th, 2010: Graduation Day_

**xxx**

It's morning at the dorm and Minato lies completely motionless on his bed. At first, it looks like the fatigue has taken him and he's passed… until he stirs and groans, trying to open his eyes. He's clearly still hanging on with everything he's got. He hears someone knock at his door.

 _"Ugh… Huh… H-Hello?"_ he groans.

"It's me, Aigis. May please I come in?" Minato slowly wills his body to sit up, feeling out of breath.

 _"I-It… should be… unlocked..."_ Minato sits on the edge of his bed as Aigis enters the room. She smiles at the sight of him.

"Thank goodness," she says. "I'm so happy to see you again…" Minato nods.

 _"Yeah… It's been… too long… Aigis…"_ he gasps, barely having enough energy to talk. Aigis looks down and frowns.

"I'm sorry to show up so suddenly… But… I really needed to talk to you." Minato shakes his head.

 _"No… problem…"_ Minato pats the spot next to him, signalling Aigis to sit next to him. Aigis walks up to him, sits at his side, and hangs her head.

"I… I remember everything," she says. "Everyone seems to have forgotten, but I remember…" Tears start rolling down Aigis' cheeks. Minato smiles and wipes them away for her.

 _"It's okay… I… still remember too…"_ Aigis starts wiping her face.

"I'm sorry. It's just that, when I remembered… I was afraid you might go somewhere far away, like you did at the last battle…" Minato remained silent, knowing how much Aigis cared about him. He wanted to say "That won't happen"... but he knows that's not true. Aigis turns to him and smiles.

"Graduation's today, isn't it?" she asks. "I'm sorry… the ceremony's already begun…" Aigis looks out the window, then back at Minato.

"Such nice weather outside… Do you remember? The promise we all made?" Minato nods.

"Good. Why don't we go there and wait for the others…? We can enjoy the view of this peaceful city…" Minato closes his eyes.

 _"The school's roof… Yeah… let's go..."_ Minato looks Aigis and chuckles.

_"B-But, uh… I've got… a problem…"_

"Hm?"

 _"Y-You see… I-I've been… really tired lately… E-Even when… I-I sleep, I… I just... feel so tired…"_ Minato rubs his legs.

_"A-And now, I… I-I think my… legs stopped… working right..."_

"Your legs?" Minato nods and wraps his arm around Aigis' neck.

 _"Y-Yeah, so… do me... a favor… and help me... walk… please...?"_ Aigis smiles and nods as she holds Minato's arm and stands up with him. She wraps her right arm around the waist of Minato's hanging body and Minato pulls himself closer. Minato and Aigis chuckle at each other.

 _"Alright… let's go,"_ Minato says. Aigis nods and the two walk out of Minato's room.

_... E-Everything... looks... brighter, for some reason._

**xxx**

A little while later on the monorail to Tatsumi Port Island, Aigis and Minato sit next to each other, with Minato hanging his head and looking at the ground and his arm still around Aigis' neck. The sight of the ocean shining like fire from the sun's light out the window catches his attention. He sighs, feeling his grip almost slip away completely.

_Hm… She did say… this part makes you feel like... you're gliding over the sea..._

_..._

_... It's... almost time..._

He lifts his head up to see his final destination: Gekkoukan High.

_I'm coming, everyone... **I'm coming**..._

**xxx**

Meanwhile back at the dorm, a loud shriek coming from Yukari's room echoes through the halls. Yukari comes bursting out of her room door and sprints through the halls and down the stairs.

"Yukari Takeba, you idiot!" she screams. "You're never late for school, so how could you oversleep today, of all days?!" She reaches the ground floor and bolts to the door. She tries to open it, but, in her hurry, forgets that she's suppose to pull to open it and ends up slamming into it. She falls backwards to the ground, covering her face.

"Ow, crap! Dammit!" She sits up and rubs her face to make sure there's no bleeding, which there isn't. She suddenly gets a headache and a stream of images rush through her mind. The headache and the images soon stop, leaving her confused.

"Wha… What was…?" She shakes her head, stands up, and opens the door the right way.

"Aw, forget it! I'm late enough already!" She exits the building and starts hoofing it to school.

**xxx**

Meanwhile in Gekkou High's auditorium, all students are seated in rows and columns for the senior Graduation Ceremony. The senior class rep is speaking at the podium.

"The time to part has finally come. Though this is our last day together, we want the senior class to know that you've truly earned our respect. We wish each of you good health, happiness, and prosperity. On this auspicious occasion, I wish you all a fond farewell on behalf of the student body." Everyone applauds as the class rep bows and leaves the stage.

"Next, a word from the valedictorian," a teacher announces. "From Class D, Mitsuru Kirijo." Mitsuru steps from behind the curtain, walks up to the podium, and bows to the teacher.

"Thank you." Mitsuru looks to her audience and stands proudly as she begins her speech.

"This past year, I accepted an important responsibility as Student Council President. When I first addressed you from this podium, I spoke to you all about seizing opportunity while you had the chance. Well, it must have been fate that intervened and gave me an important reminder of this. As many of you may know, my father unexpectedly…"

When she thought about what she was about to say next, something in her mind was triggered, cutting her off. She ignores it and continues.

"H-He… unexpectedly passed away, due to sudden illness…" The thing in her mind was triggered again with greater force. She started feeling as if she was telling a lie. As if half of those words… aren't true at all. She looks down and puts her hand on her forehead.

"Sudden… illness…?" The crowd begins to stir.

**xxx**

Meanwhile on a monorail to Tatsumi Port Island, Yukari is sitting down, hanging her head and looking at the floor. She sits up and checks her phone for the time. She lets out a loud sigh.

"Might as well just wing it," she groans. "It'll practically be over by the time I-" The headache from before suddenly returns. Yukari shuts her eyes and rubs her temples to try and ease the pain.

"Ugh, what the…?!" The pain suddenly goes away. When she opens her, Yukari sees that the color of everything around her has turned bright orange and there seem to be more passengers that weren't there before.

"Huh? What's-?"

"We have to take the monorail to get there. Bet your last school wasn't like that, huh?"

Yukari turns right to the sound of her own voice and is surprised to see two very familiar figures standing next to each other.

"Is that Minato and… me?" Yukari stands up and walks over as the other Yukari talks to Minato. The other Yukari's eyes widen and she smiles as she gazes at the ocean from out the window.

"This my favorite part," she says. "When it feels like you're gliding over the sea." She turns to Minato, who doesn't seem interested.

"Our stop's Port Island Station at the end of the line," she tells him. "From there, we walk. Have you ever heard of Tatsumi Port island? It's a manmade island. They built our school right in the middle." The other Yukari points out the window.

"Oh, look, you can see it now!"

The first Yukari walks next to them and looks at the view of their school.

"Wait… this was when-"

When she blinked, Yukari found herself on top of the dorm's roof during the Dark Hour, which she didn't recognize. She turns to see Minato standing between the Magician Arcana Shadow and what she believes is her past self. Her eyes widen as Minato puts the Evoker to his head, with her believing to be a handgun.

"W-Wait! Minato, what're you-?!"

" _ **Per… so… na…**_ "

He pulls the trigger, a strange aura erupts from him, and Orpheus is created from it, much to Yukari's shock.

"W-What… is that?"

She blinks again and finds herself in a hospital room, standing next to Minato in bed with the past Yukari standing on the other side looking down on him.

"While I was waiting," the past Yukari says to Minato. "I thought to myself, "I've been hiding so many things from him… As soon as he wakes up, I'll tell him the truth.""

The present Yukari starts to feel like this is deja vu.

"Y-Yeah… this was when-"

She blinked again and found herself at the shore of Yakushima at night. She turned to her left and saw her past self and Minato together. Her past self was crying, with her face buried in her hands.

"I'm sorry!" her past self screams. "M-My… my head's just a big mess right now! I'm so scared and sad and anger and… and lost! I-I… I just don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do anymore!" She dropped to her knees, continuing to cry.

"M-Mi… Minato… please… tell me… what should I do?" Minato takes a deep breath and kneels down to her.

"Hey… your father… Do you… Do you still love him?" he asks her. She nods.

"I-I… I wouldn't be hurting this much if I didn't!" Minato takes a deep breath.

"Then… maybe just… keep believing in him?" Past Yukari slowly uncovers her face to look at him.

"H-Huh?" Minato gulps.

"None of this is really over yet," he says. "So… we don't really know if we know the whole story. I mean, maybe… there's more to it than that? I don't really know. You're right when I say I don't have all the answers." Minato slowly puts his hand on her shoulder.

"But… until we know for sure… I think… you should just hold onto that hope you have towards your father. There might more to what you know about what happened. How you'll find that out… that's beyond me." Minato looks down at the ground.

"It's okay not to know what to do sometimes… but…"

The present Yukari spoke the words Minato was about to say.

"Never stop believing… in the people you love."

She blinks again and finds herself in Wakatsu, sitting at the booth of the table her past self and Minato are sitting.

"You know… uh… I don't really know how to say this, but…" The past Yukari takes a deep breath before continuing.

"Minato… When I'm with you like this… I don't feel so… alone. I mean, I do have friends, plus everyone at the dorm, but… most of the time, I don't really feel like myself when I'm around them. It's like the real me is locked up somewhere deep down inside me…" The past Yukari frowns.

"Maybe it's because of my family? How it's so broken up? It's just… everytime I look at them, I feel out of place. Distant, kind of. Like… I'm not really one of them." She gently smiles at Minato.

"But… when I'm with you… I don't feel any of that. I feel like I finally belong somewhere. Like someone's finally right next to me… So, uh… what I… I-I'm trying to say is…" She looks at Minato's right hand and reaches her left hand out to touch it to Minato's surprise. Minato gazes at her ever so innocent smile.

"You're very special… no… you're very important to me, Minato."

The present Yukari nods.

"Yeah… I  **did**  have friends, but…"

She blinks again and finds herself in her room, with her past self and Minato sitting together on her bed. Minato is holding the past Yukari in her arms as she cries.

"T-Thank you!" she cries out. "Thank you… so much… thank you…"

Present Yukari notices the laptop near the end of the bed. She remembers this as the day she found out the truth about her father, with Minato there to comfort her.

"Dad…"

She blinks again and she's still in her room, but her past self and Minato are standing up and embracing each other.

"U-Um... you don't mind if I say it again, do you?" Past Yukari asks. Minato shakes his head.

"Say it as much as you want." Past Yukari lets out a comforting sigh, wraps her arms around Minato's waist, and pulls him in tight, pulling herself up to whisper in his ear.

"I love you, Minato... I love you so much." She nuzzles her face into his shoulder.

Present Yukari's eyes widen, remembering this day very clearly.

She blinks again and finds herself at the Moonlight Bridge during the Dark Hour. She turns towards the sound of Minato crying and see him, her past self, and everyone from S.E.E.S. gathered around, with Past Yukari shedding tears as she holds a bloodied and crying Minato.

"I-It's… it's okay." she sobs. "C-Cry as much as you want to… cry forever for all I care… I… I-I'll never let you go…" She squeezes him as tight as she can.

"I-I'm right here… I'm not going anywhere… I'll always be right here with you, Minato…"

Tears slowly starts rolling down Present Yukari's face.

"Minato…"

She blinks again and finds herself at a Christmas themed Paulownia Mall, with Minato and her past self sitting together at a bench.

"You know, when I first met you, Minato," Past Yukari says. "I never thought we'd be spending time together like this. I guess it's because I was so used to being alone, so it was hard to think about. But now that we're here… I feel kinda stupid." Minato laughs with her.

"Trust me. You aren't the only one." Past Yukari glances back and forth between Minato and the floor.

"I-I wouldn't say this to anyone else… But… I've been dreaming of a moment like this…  _sooo_ …" She sighs, then turns and smiles at Minato.

"Even though we're in such a crazy situation right now… just for today… I don't care about any of that... I just want to be by your side." Minato chuckles and looks down at her hand.

"I really did mean it when I said you don't owe me anything. You've done so much for me already. You helped me not feel so alone anymore, you gave me a reason to stay here, you made me feel whole again, and now… you've given me a reason to fight til the very end. You don't have to pay me back with a present at all." Minato squeezes her hand.

"Just… stay with me… That's all you have to do, Yuka."

Present Yukari began to feel her heart being painfully squeezed.

The memories Yukari just saw rush through her mind and from them, other lost memories emerge. Memories of the Dark Hour, Shadows, and Personas, memories of the battles she fought with her friends, and more importantly… memories of the love of her life.

When the monorail was arriving at it's final destination, Yukari, cheeks were drenched in tears of absolute sadness and regret, bends over to cry, covering her mouth with her right and gripping her cracking heart with her left. The boy never forgot their love, but she did... and she knows it was hurting him.

"H-How… could I… forget?" As soon as she feels the monorail come to a complete stop, she jumps from her seat and sprinting to and out the doors, remembering the promise she made to Minato and everyone else.

**xxx**

Back at the school auditorium, there's a commotion in the audience about Mitsuru's sudden falter.

_"Wow, that's rare. I've never heard her stumble in a speech before."_

_"It's a big day… It must be tough thinking about her father."_

From the crowd, three students suddenly jumps from their seats: Akihiko Sanada, Fuuka Yamagishi, and Junpei Iori. Akihiko and Fuuka look around.

"I… We…!"

"Oh… I… I…!" Junpei starts shouting.

"That's right! I remember! Our promise!" At the podium, Mitsuru's eyes widen as her memories begin to return.

"I… I remember…" Mitsuru nods before continuing her speech.

"Yes… Upon my father's death, I was set adrift, stripped of my reason to live. But now… I have found something else to live for. No longer will I run from the future. I will face it head on, in memory of my father's will. I am resolved; free from doubt, hesitation, or reservation! This is because…" A smile appears on her face as she sees her friends start to gather.

"It is because I made such wonderful, such priceless friends." Akihiko, Junpei, and Fuuka call out to her and she nods.

"And promised to each other that we will never lose hope, no matter what tomorrow may bring!" she shouts. She leaves the podium, not caring about the knocked over mic, and leaps from the stage to rejoin everyone.

"Senpai!" Fuuka shouts. "We finally remember!" Junpei smirks at all of them.

"We should probably get goin'!" he says. "Minato, Yuka-tan, and Aigis… Betcha 500 yen they're already there." Mitsuru nods.

"Yes, of course! I can hardly wait! Everyone, let's go!" The four start rushing out of the auditorium, ignoring the shocked crowd they left behind.

**xxx**

At the roof of the school at the very far end, Minato's entire body is lying on the stone seat, his hands clasped on his torso, with Aigis sitting beside him, cherry blossoms from nearby trees flying overhead. The warm sunlight and gentle breeze envelops his resting body. Aigis holds out her hand to catch a blossom and smiles.

"The wind feels so nice," she says. "This is my first time experiencing spring." Minato nods as he gazes at the hundreds of small pink petals gliding through the sky.

 _Yeah… it's the perfect place to take a nap_ , he thinks.

The wind blows the cherry blossom out of Aigis' hand. She looks up, following it as it disappears from into the blue above.

"But, this season will eventually pass." She looks down at Minato.

"After fighting alongside you, and facing the world's end, I finally began to understand… what it means to live. Thinking for yourself… not running away… accepting the inevitable…" She looks back up at the sky.

"All things eventually come to an end... Every living thing will one day disappear... Only by accepting this can one discover what they truly want... What the meaning of their life will be..." She looks down and frowns.

"I understand now why I was so tormented by my lack of strength... Protecting others became than just an order I had to obey... I wanted to do it for my own reasons. I realized this once I decided to try and prevent the Fall. When I thought I might never see you again, something else became clear to me- what I wanted most." Little tears form in her eyes as she smiles and looks at Minato.

"And so... I made up my mind." I decided that I would continue to protect you. I want to be your strength. I know I'm not the only one who can do this… but that's okay." She starts to happily sob.

"My life… will be worth living if it's for this reason…" Minato smiles.

 _"... Aigis…"_ he murmurs, barely having enough energy left to speak Aigis place her hand on his cheek and continues to cry.

"Ha ha… Thank you…" Minato slowly raises his trembling hand to her cheek to wipe off the tears.

"... _D-Don't… c-c-cry…_ " Aigis shuts her eyes and clasps Minato's hand in hers.

"You're right..." she sobs. "What am I doing? I understand now… so I should be happy." Aigis lets go of Minato's hand, letting it return to his stomach, and wipes her tears away. From behind the fence, she sees a certain pink clad someone bolting across the campus and towards the building. She then looks up at the sky and smiles.

"I realize now that I have friends as well..." she says. "You don't have to save the world to find meaning in life. Sometimes… all you need is something simple… like someone to take care of." She looks down at Minato again.

"And… I believe… you found that certain someone a long time ago…" Minato smiles, knowing that she's talking about Yukari, his most precious someone.

"Yukari-san... she means everything to you... doesn't she?" Minato stares intently at the small fragments of pink above him... which remind him of her because pink is her favorite color.

"...  _I-I could... n-n-never... l-love something... more..._ " Aigis slowly nods, then looks towards the door, as if she heard someone coming, and slowly stands up.

"She will be here soon… It would be wrong of me to be here when she does." She slowly walks towards the opening beside the door.

" _A-_ _Aigis..._ " Minato calls out. "... _T-T-Thank you… for everything_..." Aigis stops to turn and smile at him, then continues to hide in the space behind the door.

**xxx**

With his mechanical guardian angel leaving the scene, Minato breaths deeply as he gazes at the flying cherry blossoms and the beautiful blue sky above him, the warmth of gentle spring sunlight and slightly chill wind soothing his motionless body. He hears loud cheering from afar, which he assumes means the Graduation Ceremony is over. He chuckles at the fact that so many people will have a bright future now... and at the humor of him not being a part of it. It sent his heart into turmoil yesterday, but now that he's truly accepted it, he feels only peace and happiness. No regret at all... not even the slightest.

_Yeah… this is... the world… we fought for… and the world... I'll protect… forever._

Minato shuts his eyes for a moment, still hanging on for just a bit longer… until a loud distant scream breaks the silence. It's a loud, sadness filled cry from his most precious friend.

_" **MI-NA-TOOOOOO!!!** "_

Minato hears quick footsteps growing louder, then the sound of the door being slammed open. He hears someone rush over to him and try to catch their breath. He slowly opens his eyes to see the love of his life, Yukari, hunched over in exhaustion, with sweat and tears running down her face. She looks up at him, with a sorrowful look on her face.

"M-Minato…" Minato wanted to say something, but it seems his voice has been taken by fatigue. So, he just shoots a smirk at her that says, "What took you so long, stupid?" Yukari quickly takes a seat on the side where his head is, then pulls his body over her lap and sits him up, holding him in her arms. Yukari shuts her eyes and hangs her head for a moment, then smiles at her tired lover, rubbing her hand against his cheek.

"I-I… I-I finally remember  **everything**! ... I... I-I remember  _ **you**!_ " She shakes her head.

"W-We… We aren't just boyfriend and girlfriend… Y-You're much…  _ **so**_  much more important to me than that…" Yukari's rubs Minato's chest, feeling his heart pulsing.

"Y-You changed my life… taught me so many things… helped me when I was weak… and… you filled the hole I had in my heart for so many years. Ha ha… Y-You didn't even forget how you felt about me even after it was all over, did you…?" An angry look appeared on Yukari's face.

"A-And where the hell was I the whole time?! I-I… I promised you I wouldn't forget about you… and that I'd show you... how much I care about you… how much I love you...! Everyday...! Forever…!" Tears start dropping onto Minato's jacket.

"B-But... I-I did… I  **did**  forget… I forgot and I spent the whole damn month… holding back how I felt about you…! I-I… I'm so stupid…! S-So… pathetic…!" She shakes her head again.

"I-I… I  **can't**  forgive myself…! M-Minato… I-I…" She pulls Minato in close for her tightest hug and starts screaming out cries of sadness.

"I-I'm sorry! I-I… I'M SO SORRY!" Minato stares at his bawling, heart-broken love, then remembers what he has in his pocket. He wills his hand to pull it out and tap Yukari with it. She slowly pulls away and sees the piece of paper in his hand. She takes it and see that it's the photo they took at Game Panic during Valentine's Day. She turns it over, noticing something written on the back. Her eyes widen and she gasps at what it says.

_Minato luvs:_

_Yuka > Anything else_

Yukari laughs through her tears and looks at Minato, who gives her a gentle, warm smile.

"Y-Yeah… Yeah... Me too," she says. "I-I love you too, Minato... More than anything..."

She pulls him in as tight as she can for a long, passionate kiss. A single tear sneaks out of his right eye as Minato wills his hand to move and presses it against her cheek, savoring every second of this: ...Their final kiss.

When Yukari finally pulls away, she notices her lover's face is covered in her tears. She laughs as she wipes them away.

"Aha ha ha ha! Oops! L-Look at me! I'm getting my tears all over your face!" When she gets them all off, Minato starts groaning as fatigue starts shutting off all of his movements. His eyelids start feeling really heavy. Yukari smiles at him as she runs her hand through his dark blue hair back.

"Awww, you poor baby… You're getting sleepy, huh?" She positions his head on her chest and starts cradling him, nuzzling her face on his. He's so close he can clearly hear her heart beating.

"Hm… Go ahead. You can rest for now… I'll always be with you."

Off in the distance, Minato can hear many footsteps and familiar voices drawing closer. He and Yukari looks toward the door and see the shadows of their friends, keeping her forehead on Minato's.

"See?" Yukari says. "The others are coming…" Minato takes in the sight of his dear friends, who have managed to remember everything and make it here, taking solace in the fact that he touched not only their lives, but the lives of many others, he protected those people and the world that they live in, and that they will always remember him long after he is gone.

_... Just in... time..._

His life may have been an unfairly short and cruel one with near half of the memories of it being burned away, the other half being shrouded in abyssal darkness, and his one year back here being all he can really hold onto... but that one year was so fulfilling and life changing that it is, in his eyes, enough to make up for all the hell he has been through. A lifetime's worth of pure happiness in that one short year.

Minato tries using the last of his strength to move his head across Yukari's chest, hoping to position it right above where her heart is. Yukari, knowing what he's trying to do, giggles pushes his head up to help him.

"Hm… that better?" Minato closes his eyes for a moment, feeling her heart beat pulsing against his face, as his lover places her hand over his. Yukari holds him as close as she can and leans in to whisper something in his ear.

 _"I'll be by your side… I promise."_ Minato opens his eyes and looks up to see her beautiful blushed smiling face, with the bright sunlight shining behind her.

**xxx**

He could feel it... The eternal peace that enveloped him... Everything is perfect now…

The feeling of his body in her arms…

_So... warm..._

The lovely smell of her being…

_Like... really sweet... flowers..._

The sound of her pulsing life…

_Gentle... flow..._

And the sight of her face…

_So... beautiful..._

For Minato… there is nothing better for him to fall asleep to... than the lovely embrace of the girl he gave his life for engulfing him, body and soul. After all... he always got the best sleep when he was with her.

Finally ready for his greatest rest, the Fool whispers something so silently that no one could hear him and gently smiles as he rests his head onto the breast of the Lovers and lets his eyes close one last time.

And so, a blue butterfly, surrounded by a field of cherry blossoms, flutters its wings and ascends into the vast blue sky, disappearing into the sun… and taking him away.

**xxx**

_Unyielding power?_   _A bright and shining future? An amazing life? If you asked me if I had any of those, I would deny it til the end of time and beyond. I don't have any of those things._   _I have no power. I have no future. I have no life. In fact, I don't have anything at all. No… maybe it would make more sense to say... nothing I have is my own._

_My bright and shining future? It's all of my friends being together. My unyielding power? It's my friends' powers united. My amazing life? It's the lives of my friends joined as one. Everything I have is borrowed. My future is my friends' future. My power is my friends' power. My life is my friends' life._

_May they carry their everything and mine forward on the path of life… forever._

_..._

**_Good night…_ **

**_..._ **

**_Yuka…_ **

* * *

_**Journey's End** _


End file.
